Teamsters Union Ratifies 5-Year Deal With UPS, Averting Strike Threat
In what the organization considers a victory, the Teamsters union members have overwhelmingly ratified a comprehensive five-year agreement with UPS, effectively quashing the specter of a potentially devastating strike.
The union announced that a remarkable 86% of its members voted in favor of the forward-looking contract, which will be retroactively in force from August 1. This historic margin of support stands as the widest ever recorded for a contract at the company, as hailed by Teamsters representatives. Participation in the vote hit a new record with 58% of members engaging in the decision-making process.
The breakthrough accord, reached on July 25 – a week ahead of the initially scheduled strike date – has successfully navigated the ratification process over the course of the past four weeks.
Eminently endorsed by union leadership with a staggering 161-1 vote, Teamsters President Sean O’Brien lauded it as the “best contract in the history of UPS.” He also asserted that the significance of this agreement stretches beyond the company’s bounds, proclaiming it as a blueprint for equitable compensation and safeguards for workers across the nation.
“Our members just ratified the most lucrative agreement the Teamsters have ever negotiated at UPS. This contract will improve the lives of hundreds of thousands of workers,” said Teamsters General President Sean O’Brien. “Teamsters have set a new standard and raised the bar for pay, benefits, and working conditions in the package delivery industry. This is the template for how workers should be paid and protected nationwide, and nonunion companies like Amazon better pay attention.”
It’s worth noting that some segments of part-time UPS employees expressed opposition to the deal, particularly due to the lingering wage disparity between them and their full-time counterparts for equivalent work. Nevertheless, the voting outcome demonstrated that, despite the dissent raised by certain members, the contract garnered widespread endorsement across different worker categories.
The deal
The negotiations proved fruitful for the union, securing substantial pay enhancements, such as a retroactive $2.75 hourly raise from August 1 and total raises exceeding $7.50 hourly, or more than $15,000 annually, for full-time staff throughout the contract’s duration.
Existing part-time employees will experience an immediate raise to a minimum of $21 per hour. Moreover, part-time seniority workers who are currently earning higher wages due to a market rate adjustment will continue to benefit from all forthcoming general wage hikes. The compensation enhancements for full-time employees will maintain the UPS Teamsters’ standing as the highest-paid delivery drivers nationally, elevating their average top remuneration to $49 per hour.
For the present UPS Teamsters employed in part-time roles, an added longevity wage boost of up to $1.50 per hour will supplement the new hourly raises, leading to an accumulative increase in earnings. Freshly onboarded part-time recruits at UPS will commence their employment at a rate of $21 per hour, with a progression to $23 per hour.
Substantially surpassing the increments stipulated in the preceding UPS Teamsters agreement, the general wage augmentations for part-time personnel will be twice as substantial. Consequently, existing part-time staff members will encounter an impressive average cumulative wage surge of 48 percent over the subsequent five years.
Moreover, progress was made in addressing disparities, with some employees receiving more substantial raises as the company committed to eliminating the lower pay scale introduced after 2018.
The agreement also addresses a critical concern – the lack of air conditioning in 95,000 delivery vans within UPS’ US fleet. The union emphasized that this issue goes beyond comfort, posing a safety risk. While retrofitting the existing fleet was not agreed upon, the company committed to purchasing exclusively air-conditioned vans from the following year onward. Additionally, improvements will be made to the cargo area of existing vans to mitigate temperature-related risks.
An exception emerged with one union local in Miami that did not endorse the supplemental agreement that’s only relevant to its 174 members. O’Brien conveyed his anticipation of negotiating a new arrangement for these workers by the upcoming weekend. Importantly, the full national agreement’s implementation hinges on finalizing and ratifying this localized deal.
The effect
While the national agreement and ratification process will entail a labor cost increase of over 3% annually for UPS, the company’s recent robust financial performance provides a cushion. Adjusted net income surged by 70% during the preceding five-year contract, propelled by a surge in online transactions during the pandemic. Despite a 26% drop in adjusted income in the first half of the current year compared to 2022, as revealed in earnings reports, this was not solely attributable to the new labor agreement’s costs.
The ratified deal brings substantial relief to UPS by neutralizing the looming strike threat. CEO Carol Tome underscored the potential loss of approximately 1 million packages daily to competing services during the second quarter ending in June, even prior to the slated August 1 strike initiation. This development, however, safeguarded UPS from even more substantial losses that a strike might have triggered.
With the ratified vote, UPS is poised to regain the trust of customers who might have wavered due to uncertainties surrounding the contract.
“It doesn’t happen overnight, of course,” Tome said in an earnings call. “It’s already starting to flow back in. But we think by the end of the year, we’ll win it all back.”
UPS issued a succinct statement confirming the successful passage of the vote. Notably, the company had previously hailed the agreement as a triumph that benefits the company, its workforce, and its clientele alike.
Information for this briefing was found via CNN and the sources mentioned. The author has no securities or affiliations related to this organization. Not a recommendation to buy or sell. Always do additional research and consult a professional before purchasing a security. The author holds no licenses.
