Jim welcomes Mike Kiely to the podcast to talk about everything that goes into working for UPS in his new position within the company. They talk about how Mike manages his team, spending time abroad, how things are going in DC, and so much more!Topics discussed in this episode:

• The amount of responsibility that are on Mike and his team.

• How many union members and employees there in the UPS both in the United States and around the globe.
• Mike's new position and how it differs from his old position
• How Mike manages a team from so many diverse locations.
• Is it beneficial for people specfically college students to spend time abroad?

• Are things getting back to normal in markets around the world post-COVID?

• How UPS navigated the COVID shut down
• The backlogs of items coming into America.
• UPS negotiating with the union members of Teamsters in the US.
• How UPS takes care of their empoyees

• How social media causes unneeded panic about the state of UPS

• Headlines that give panic without diving into the facts of the matter at hand.

• Where Mike is spending most of his time.

• Educating public officials on what is going on in their negotiations with unions.
• Creating a channel for people to be able to use to know what's going on and not going off of what news articles are saying.

• FAA re-authorization bill

• How things are in DC and some changes that Mike has seen.

• America's relationship with China as the two leading countries of the world.

Michael Kiely is the President of Global Government Affairs at UPS. Based in Washington D.C., he leads UPS's legislative strategy and advocacy efforts pertaining to the company's global anddomestic business units. Michael began his career with UPS in 1992 as a management trainee. Upon completion, he held numerous positions in the finance and accounting function on assignments based in New York, Georgia, and Belgium. In 2001, he was appointed as Managing Director of Finance and Accounting for UPS's Northern European operations, where he oversaw all aspects of Finance, Accounting, Taxation and Benefits Management for seven European countries. He moved to UPS's Government Affairs function in 2005 where he advanced UPS's reform efforts on laws and regulations impacting multiemployer pension plans, health care reform and tax policy. In his role as President of U.S. Government Affairs, he led the development and execution of legislative and regulatory strategies for a range of policy issues including trade and customs; labor and employment; sustainability and alternative fuels; postal; healthcare; and transportation across the federal government and 50 state governments. He assumed his current position in 2023. Michael is on the Executive Committee for the American Trucking Associations where he is also Chairman of the Audit Committee. He serves on the Board of the Maryland Chamber of Commerce, the Advisory Board for the Bryce Harlow Foundation and the Board of the US Chamber's Political Advisory Committee. Michael graduated from Fordham University in 1992 with a B.S. in Finance. He received an M.B.A in Finance from the University of Connecticut in 1999 and also studied at the Wharton School of Business and Emory University. He lives in Edgewater, MD with his wife and three teenage sons.e. Michael now oversees federal, state, and local government affairs for the company. Help us grow! Leave us a rating and review - it's the best way to bring new listeners to the show. Don't forget to subscribe! Have a suggestion, or want to chat with Jim? Email him at [email protected] Follow The Political Life on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter for weekly updates.