On August 22, UPS workers, organized by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters voted by an overwhelming majority of 86.3% to ratify a contract negotiated in July. This is the highest vote for a contract in the history of the union at UPS. The contract is the largest single-employer contract in the country, with UPS Teamsters representing 340,000 workers.
This historic contract enshrines large raises for both part-time and full-time workers. It will end a two-tier system added on to the prior contract as a concession by previous leadership. 30,000 new full-time positions will be hired, and air conditioning will be added to all package trucks purchased next year, among other major wins.
Teamsters General President Sean O’Brien said in response to the vote, “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.”
The Teamsters union is now shifting their focus to organizing Amazon delivery workers, who do similar work but have vastly substandard conditions compared to UPS workers.
The labor movement and auto company bosses are also watching with bated breath as United Auto Workers working in the three largest automakers in the nation are currently voting to potentially strike on September 14.
