SHIPPING CUSTOMERS LEFT FEELING BOXED IN.

Byline: Ben Sullivan Daily News Staff Writer

The check most certainly was not in the mail for hundreds of area businesses Monday as a strike between Teamsters union members and United Parcel Service of America Inc. ended its first full day.

But even as companies dependent on UPS deliveries muddled through the afternoon, turning when possible to alternative services and in the worst cases going without, area courier companies found themselves with an unexpected windfall of business as a result of the dispute.

Assad Amiri, manager of EZ Run Messenger Services Inc. in Woodland Hills, said his regional courier service received about 25 percent more calls than usual Monday, as a direct result of the UPS strike.

``To be honest, I don't normally like short-run, heavy loads like this,'' Amiri said. ``We have to deliver on time, and even if it's more than we can handle, it's difficult saying no to customers.''

But if the strike lasts for several days or weeks and EZ Run is able to take on more workers, it will be a financial boon to the company, Amiri said.

The Reseda office of I-Go Delivery Service Inc. similarly reported a surge in business Monday, getting about 100 calls beyond the 50 to 60 typical for a weekday.

Kevin Eckert-Smith, a manager at Newbury Park-based Westwind Express Courier, said his firm has seen a steady increase in business since late last week, when the threat of a strike became more serious.

``It started when they began talking about the strike and has just continued since,'' Eckert-Smith said.

Typically, Eckert-Smith and other courier representatives say, their firms don't compete directly with the likes of UPS and Federal Express.

But with the nation's largest delivery service at a virtual standstill, businesses that formerly used UPS for local deliveries are turning to independent operators for relief.

That silver lining, however, has been the exception rather than the rule among Valley businesses.

More common is the case of Andi Ponoroff, owner of The Bakery Basket in Calabasas, who said her company has used UPS for 13 years to deliver its perishable gourmet gift goods. Ponoroff said she is already talking with other delivery services in anticipation of an extended strike.

``Our only recourse is to seek other suppliers - FedEx, DHL, whatever it takes,'' she said. ``If I have orders to deliver, I don't have a choice.''

Like other Valley businesses, and indeed companies across the nation, Ponoroff said that if other carriers charge higher rates than UPS it will hurt her firm, either through higher in-house expenses or lost sales.

``Our purchasing manager is getting grayer by the moment,'' said Jim Daggs, director of marketing at Chatsworth-based General Ribbon Corp.

GRC, which manufactures toner cartridges and ribbons for office and industrial printing, typically ships about 130 packages and receives about 40 packages a day through UPS. Though the company maintains accounts with several delivery firms, Daggs said, it does not get the same discounts from, say, a Federal Express that it would from its primary carrier UPS.

And that's if it can get a UPS competitor to take the business at all.

Since the strike began, the U.S. Postal Service has said customers wanting to send more than four packages at a time must make an appointment to deliver the packages to designated drop-off points. Federal Express has said that for the time being it can not guarantee on-time delivery of packages from new customers.

Officials at Matech Biomedical Services in Westlake Village say they are watching the strike with particular interest. Their sole supplier of a chemical solution essential to Matech's materials testing business is on the East Coast and ships through UPS.

``If we run out and we need more and it can't be delivered overnight, we're in trouble,'' said Alex Almanzan, a chemical engineer at the Ventura County biomedicine firm. Almanzan said the company has enough solution for the time, but an extended strike could pose a problem.

A speedy resolution appeared unlikely late Monday, as UPS management said it won't sweeten its contract offer to Teamsters employees.

The dispute centers on issues of subcontracting and a pension plan. UPS wants the right to subcontract some of its highest-paying jobs, including driving of delivery trucks, to independent workers. The company also wants to jointly administer an independent pension plan for its workers. Currently, UPS employees are included in a larger pension plan managed by the union.

Teamsters officials say they empathize with secondary businesses affected by the strike, but are compelled to demonstrate against UPS management.

``We realize (the effects of the strike) go well beyond the employer-employee relationship,'' said Raol Lopez, principal officer of Teamsters Local 396, whois involved in the UPS talks.

``We hope we can repair and mend our relations with UPS customers in the long run,'' Lopez said, ``but American workers are under attack by some major corporations, including UPS. These are real conditions we're dealing with here.''

TIPS FOR CONSUMERS

Ask retailers which carrier they use. If UPS is their primary carrier, ask what arrangements have been made to compensate during the strike.

Ask how long delivery should take.

Don't depend on receiving a delivery on time. While other carriers are trying to fill in the gaps from the UPS strike, there is a glut of merchandise to transport.

If possible, wait to place a delivery order. The first days of a strike are usually hectic. Let retailers develop alternative shipping arrangements.

See Page 12 for other providers offering delivery services.

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