UPS will head back to the negotiating table next week after the company reached out to the Teamsters union in a last-ditch effort to avert a strike. UPS Teamsters’ current contract expires July 31. Photo courtesy of Teamsters Facebook
July 19 (UPI) — UPS will head back to the negotiating table next week after the company reached out to the Teamsters union in a last-ditch effort to avert a strike next month.
“We are pleased to be back at the negotiating table next week to resolve the few remaining open issues,” UPS said in a statement Wednesday.
“We are prepared to increase our industry-leading pay and benefits, but need to work quickly to finalize a fair deal that provides certainty for our customers, our employees and businesses across the country.”
The Teamsters union, which represents 340,000 UPS workers, also announced negotiations would resume next week in a tweet, saying UPS “bowed” to pressure.
“As thousands of UPS Teamsters practice picket, rally and mobilize around the country, UPS bowed today to the overwhelming show of Teamster unity and reached out to the union to resume negotiations,” the union wrote Wednesday.
UPS BOWS TO TEAMSTER PRESSURE, NEGOTIATIONS TO RESUME NEXT WEEK
As thousands of @UPS #Teamsters practice picket, rall, and mobilize around the country, UPS bowed today to the overwhelming show of Teamster unity and reached out to the union to resume negotiations. #1u pic.twitter.com/uNHuM7uDbz— Teamsters (@Teamsters) July 19, 2023
UPS Teamster members have authorized a strike by 97%, if they do not receive the “strongest possible contract” in the next few weeks. Their current contract is due to expire July 31.
Delivery and warehouse logistics workers across the country are fighting for a new five-year agreement that guarantees better pay, increases the number of full-time jobs, addresses safety concerns surrounding heat illness and provides protections against managerial harassment.
As thousands of UPS teamster workers mobilize throughout the United States in preparation for a strike, the company has said it will start training non-union workers to keep operating.
“While we have made great progress and are close to reaching an agreement, we have a responsibility as an essential service provider to take steps to help ensure we can deliver our customers’ packages if the Teamsters choose to strike,” UPS said in a statement Friday.
Talks broke down July 5, following a marathon negotiating session over the July 4 weekend. Teamsters President Sean M. O’Brien said UPS — which made more than $100 billion last year — told union negotiators the company had no more to give.
“This multibillion-dollar corporation has plenty to give American workers — they just don’t want to,” O’Brien said.
While pay and benefits remain a sticking point, both sides have reached agreement on 55 non-economic issues, according to the Teamsters, including air-conditioning for delivery trucks and no forced overtime on drivers’ days off.