July 25 (UPI) — UPS and the Teamsters said on Wednesday that they have reached a tentative collective bargaining agreement just days before their current contract was to expire and which could have led to a strike.
The proposed five-year agreement would cover International Brotherhood of Teamsters-represented employees in small-package roles, include higher wages for Teamsters workers, air conditioning in trucks and an agreement to hire 30,000 new drivers.
The deal, though, now must face a vote by the rank-and-file members.
“Together we reached a win-win-win agreement on the issues that are important to Teamsters leadership, our employees and to UPS and our customers,” UPS CEO Carol Tomé said.
“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.”
The Teamsters said existing part-time workers will make a minimum of $21 an hour, while full-time workers will average $49 an hour. The contract also would stop mandatory overtime on drivers’ days off.
Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien called the contract “historic,” saying that UPS workers sacrificed during the COVID-19 pandemic to keep working to deliver goods while most of the country was sheltered in place.
“Teamster labor moves America,” O’Brien said in a statement. “The union went into this fight committed to winning for our members. We demanded the best contract in the history of UPS, and we got it.”
The Teamsters said the contract also includes cargo ventilation in trucks and package cars purchased after Jan. 1, 2024. All UPS cars get two fans and air induction vents in the cargo compartments.
