There has been a lot of stress and uncertainty as the Teamsters Union that represents UPS workers have been resistant to what they felt were sub-standard offers from the company over their next labor contract. The threat of a strike became very real in the last couple of weeks as negotiations seemed to be at an impasse.
Companies were nervous that supplies and goods for sale wouldn’t be delivered. Americans who rely on prescriptions delivered through the carrier were nervous that those vital medications wouldn’t arrive. Other US consumers too have been nervous that products ordered on online shopping sites would fail to reach their destination which could ruin holidays, birthdays, anniversaries, and other events. And, of course, the Teamsters and their families were nervous that a strike could present financial hardships.
All of that appears to be avoided now, as the company and the union have reached a tentative agreement. The union membership will vote on the new contract next month, but the way the leadership of the Teamsters are talking, approval of the new deal is going to happen.
The Teamsters called the agreement “overwhelmingly lucrative,” listing provisions that included wage increases for both full-time and part-time workers, the addition of the Martin Luther King Day as a company holiday for the first time and the elimination of a controversial “two-tier” wage system.
“We demanded the best contract in the history of UPS, and we got it,” announced Teamsters President Sean O’Brien.
“UPS has put $30 billion in new money on the table as a direct result of these negotiations. We’ve changed the game.”
That sentiment was shared by UPS management.
UPS Chief Executive Carol Tome declared that this agreement is a “win-win-win” for UPS, its customers and the Teamsters.
“This agreement continues to reward UPS’s full- and part-time employees with industry-leading pay and benefits while retaining the flexibility we need to stay competitive, serve our customers and keep our business strong,” Tome said.
If no agreement were reached, the Teamsters were very set to strike come August 1st. That will not happen now. Grandma will get her meds, businesses will get their deliveries, and Teamster families will be able to pay their bills.
The next chapter in this saga will be how the writer and actor strikes unfold as well as organizing efforts by O’Brien and the Teamsters at companies like Amazon. Americans on the side of better wages for working class and middle class Americans will surely be keeping an eye on things as they develop.
