UPS Contract is Ratified by the Teamsters Union
Teamsters members vote to ratify the new UPS deal; Teamsters said it was the largest margin in favor of a contract ever at the company
Rank-and-file members of the Teamsters Union voted to ratify a five-year deal with UPS, putting an end to the threat of a possible strike that would have crippled the shipping industry and sent shockwaves through the American economy. In a statement, the Teamsters said that 86% of the votes cast were in favor of ratifying the contract, making it the largest margin in favor of a contract in the history of the union at UPS.
The Original UPS Contract Deal Was Reached in July 2023
UPS workers ratified the Teamsters-negotiated labor deal reached last month, allowing the next five-year contract covering 340K employees to take effect. The deal was reached on July 25th, a week before UPS Teamsters were set to go on strike. The ratification process took place over the four weeks since the deal was reached.
More than 40 supplemental agreements were also ratified, except for one deal that covers roughly 170 members in Florida. As soon as that supplement is renegotiated and ratified, the national master agreement will go into effect.
What’s in the Deal
The new agreement eliminates a two-tiered wage system and institutes raises across the entire UPS workforce. Regarding the details of the agreement, Teamsters leadership said the following:
“The five-year contract protects and rewards more than 340,000 UPS Teamsters nationwide, raising wages for full- and part-time workers, creating more full-time jobs, and securing important workplace protections, including air conditioning.”
In addition to the above changes, drivers will now not be forced to work overtime on their days off. All members of UPS Teamsters will also receive Martin Luther King Day as a full holiday for the first time.
The agreement averted the largest single strike against a company in the history of the United States. The consulting firm Anderson Economic Group estimated a 10-day UPS strike could have cost the U.S. economy more than $7 billion and triggered “significant and lasting harm” to the shipping industry and its workers.
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