UPS and UPS have reached a tentative agreement with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters on Saturday that delays a possible strike over the nation's largest private-sector collective bargaining agreement.
The Teamsters, which includes 340,000 drivers, proposed several aspects of the agreement, such as an end to a two-tier employment system that gives part-time workers lower pay, a ban on forced overtime work, and the creation of Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a paid holiday.
With UPS today, gains made by the Teamsters at the national table cannot be overstated. From the jump, UPS knew we demanded an end, to forced overtime, the respect to take MLK Day as a real holiday, and the complete destruction of the unfair 22.4 wage system, O Brien said. But make no mistake - we are not done. UPS acknowledges that we need to reach agreement on other economic issues, such as higher wages, within the next few days. The Teamsters had a planned strike, but last week they held off after UPS made a counterproposal to their negotiated demands. The current labor agreement expires July 31, which could mark a strike if a new permanent deal is not reached.
Teamsters are continuing to exert enormous pressure on UPS to concede to demands of the hardworking members who make the company's multibillion-dollar profits, the union said on Saturday. No one can doute UPS Teamsters is ready to strike if the delivery giant doesn't meet those demands. The UPS TeamstersUPS Teamsters last held a strike in 1997. A potential strike in July would mark the largest in U.S. history as delivery demands continue to rapidly increase. The private competitions will be obligated to pick up the estimated 24.3 million packages per day delivered by UPS.