According to a report, 340,000 UPS employees will vote this month on a contract between the company and the Teamsters union. This is seen by labor organizations as the first battleground in a larger struggle to organize Amazon and boost union membership following years of decline.
After months of acrimonious labor discussions that threatened to interrupt the delivery of packages for millions of companies and families throughout the country, the union for 340,000 UPS employees said that its members had voted to support the preliminary contract deal struck last month.
According to a statement released by the Teamsters, 86% of the ballots cast supported ratification of the national contract. The Teamsters union at UPS reportedly approved it with the largest contract vote in the company’s history.
UPS said it expects to know the outcome of the votes on the two local agreements shortly.
Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien’s statement said the members had just accepted the most profitable deal the Teamsters have ever negotiated with UPS. Employees will benefit from this agreement.
He said that the contract’s compensation and benefits packages were unprecedented. This is the pattern for how employees should be treated and protected worldwide, and nonunion corporations like Amazon better pay heed.
The delivery firm reported lower revenue for its second quarter earlier this month as package volume decreased during contract talks with the union. Unpredictable consumer spending has also hit the transportation business hard.
Reports show that if members voted against the agreement, the firm indicated it would reopen negotiations. The corporation has decreased its full-year sales estimates by $4 billion. On the other hand, that conclusion left the door open for a strike that might have caused major disruption.
Full-time and part-time union employees will each get a $2.75 raise in pay in 2023 and $7.50 over the course of their 5-year contract. Part-time workers saw an increase to $21 per hour in their starting salary, but some felt it was still too low.
