pegasus6234

What is the deal with the UPS board declaring a dividend while asking for $40m from the pilots? Was this a mandatory dividend or something? I have no idea how all that works. I'm sure they see it as just business, but it doesn't sound like a good way to foster good will with your employees.

UPS Board Declares Dividend - Yahoo! Finance

757upspilot

Simple answer. It isn't.

UPS management, especially senior management, get a great deal of their income from the dividends on the stock that they have accumulated over the years. Additionally they get stock as part of the compensation plan that they have.
They routinely hypothicate ( similiar to using a margin account at a brokerage house) to purchase additional stock. Management counts on the flow of cash from the dividend to pay the interest on the money they have barrowed to buy the stock. If UPS ever failed to pay a dividend the stock price would plummet, margin calls would be made, causing the stock price to plummet as the highly leverged management had to dump the stock to cover the positions. The pay cuts to management are a way to reflow the money so this run on the stock won't occur.
When the stock was in the forties many, most, where at risk of a margin call which would have driven the stock even lower.
This is one of the reasons that the pay cuts are so important to management to get and one of the reasons that they may put people on the street.
Its always about money going to the top.

brownie

AIG UPS BOA MERRILL LYNCH they all the same as far as managment goes they will sc..w the employee while they giving each other high 5's and bonuses and dividens.

L'il J.Seinfeld

Any stock will crash if no div is given or if it is lowered after a div has been established. Mgt only exists to maximize shareholder value.

LJS, MBA

bifff15

GE was voted the number one company of the last century and is a Blue Chip. Didn't GE just lower it's dividend?

Airbum

I think you are right on the money.

L'il J.Seinfeld

Yes, my point exactly. What has happened to GE's share price? If a company can't pay its dividend that probably means they are strapped for cash or at least not doing as well as they were. GE is way down as a result.

I just looked GE up. It's down more than 50% in the past year. They can raise cash by lowering their dividend after the stock has tanked. In this case investers may respond favorably since it can be seen as being frugal in hard times. If a highly profitable company like UPS cancelled or even lowered its divident then the stock would tank soon after.