UPS Inc. (NYSE:UPS) said Sept. 9 that it plans to hire approximately 100,000 full- and part-time seasonal employees to manage the expected surge in daily parcel volumes during the upcoming peak delivery season.
In addition, UPS said it will expand access to its tuition reimbursement program for seasonal workers. Under the program, seasonal employees who are students and employed at UPS for three consecutive months will receive up to $1,300 to pay for tuition expenses.
The program, which has been in effect for several years, will be promoted more extensively because it has been underutilized in the past, according to a UPS spokesman. It will also be available for workers manning each of the 22 facilities that UPS has opened since the last peak season, the spokesman said.
The expected seasonal employee figure will be about the same as in the prior three years. During UPS’ peak period, which begins in November and continues through January, the company’s daily volumes are expected to swell to nearly double its normal 20 million package volume.
This year’s seasonal employees will receive more money than in years past due to a five-year labor contract ratified earlier this year with the Teamsters union. A UPS executive told ABC News that workers will receive $14 an hour to up to $30 an hour for drivers, according to a published report. Last year, UPS paid an average of $10.10 an hour, the executive told the network.
During the last three years, 35% of the people UPS hired for seasonal package handler jobs were eventually hired to fill permanent slots once the holidays ended, UPS said.