Teamsters union General President Sean M. O’ Brien told UPS that the union wants a tentative contract agreement within the next week that its leadership can support or that it will demand that the company present its last, best and final contract offer.
The escalating rhetoric, included in a Tuesday statement, comes as UPS (NYSE: UPS) purportedly returned to the bargaining table Tuesday morning in Washington without an updated counteroffer to present to the union. According to union sources, O’Brien harshly reiterated that the Teamsters will not work beyond July 31 without a new contract.
“When we say the current contract expires July 31, that means we want a new contract in place starting August 1. Not in six months. Not next spring. We demand a historic new contract August 1, with more money in our members’ pockets immediately,” O’Brien said in the statement. “UPS has wasted enough time and hoarded these record profits. Our members want what they have earned.”
Any tentative agreement would need to be endorsed by the Teamsters’ national committee before being properly disseminated and voted on by the membership by the end of the current agreement.
In a statement, UPS said that “we welcome the Teamsters’ urgency to get a ratified contract in place by August 1. These negotiations affect our people, consumers and businesses across the country, which is a responsibility we take seriously. We’ve been negotiating in good faith to reach an agreement with the Teamsters, and the progress we have made to date reflects our shared commitment to this process.”
Before caucusing to review economic proposals, the Teamsters told UPS the union committed to working seven days a week and through the upcoming holiday weekend to get a deal done.
“This is why there’s new leadership at the Teamsters. UPS isn’t working with the union’s prior administration, dragging out the bargaining process and submitting to extensions until finally agreeing to a watered-down deal months after the expiration of the contract,” said General Secretary-Treasurer Fred Zuckerman. “This is what hard bargaining looks like. This is labor’s leverage, and the Teamsters are not afraid to use it.”
Both sides have already concluded talks on noneconomic issues, tentatively agreeing to language covering 55 agreements. The union presented its initial offer to UPS last Wednesday to cover economic issues such as wages, benefits and changes in worker classifications. The union subsequently rejected UPS’ counteroffer as appalling, saying it calls for meager wage increases and takes workers backward on cost-of-living adjustments.
(The story was updated to include UPS’ comments).
Bill Mertz
These people talking trash about “you guys make over 100k a year” are delusioned by capitalist propaganda or company shills. Workers at UPS earn every fing dime they get. I’m a railroad worker, we heard the same garbage. Teamsters sold us out. I hope it doesn’t happen to you guys. We need a massive strike to show big $$$ we’re tired of a reduced standard of living. It’s time the working class got a piece of the action. Organization and united action is the power of the working class. We make the profits for these clowns. Shut it down and show them. Make management ride around in your non air conditioned trucks, constantly surveilled and make deliveries while stockholders suckle off profits. ✊
J in ia
For those of you that bark we make 100k per year… So would you if you worked 30hrs of overtime every week. Just saying… We work 60hrs regularly. Like the amish.. We do everything you do, plus half. Only makes sense that the 100k per year doesnt translate to actual hours worked. Hell… Our center manager is only here 4hrs a day and she makes 200k. Tell me whats right about that…?
Aaron
Greed is a non-partisan phenomenon. Both UPS and Union need to consider that the Customer base they serve can and is only willing to pay so much for the transportation service they provide. Neither side is totally right or wrong and both should consider it a partnership where the employees take care of the company and the company does the same by taking care of it’s employees.
Victor
When complaining about cost of living, remember that next time you’re in the voting booth for your local, state and federal elections. Cost of living wouldn’t be so crazy if the government wasn’t out spending and borrowing so much money nor regulating the world to death. Doesn’t matter what political party it is, tax and borrow and spend always leads to a horrible economy which impacts everyone.
Kyle
It’s amazing. Most feeder drivers make 150k a year, and package car drivers routinely make over 100k a year. At some point, the Union, and its members both need to realize that at some point, they will price themselves out of a job. It’s the way of the corporate world. UPS is already testing alternative delivery methods that would replace workers (in case everyone is blissfully unaware), In 20 years time, UPS’s operations will look vastly different, as will the rest of the small package, LTL, and FTL landscape
Scott M
@Eugene, the company used the 97 strike as an excuse for everything for the next 5 years. Every decision they made was because of the strike, I got tired of hearing it. I’m still there after 34 years of blood and sweat, one hernia surgery and being treated like trash. I have one of those full time positions created after the last strike and it took 3 years for them to put that together.
Today it is 107 degrees in my hub, the fans are broken and need replacing, by 3:00 this afternoon it will be 112. Ask Carol Tome why they embezzled our hazard pay? She sits in her fancy office with A/C drawing a 23 million dollar bonus. It’s time to bring UPS back down to earth.