Justin Sullivan via Getty Images Listen to the article 4 min In addition to eliminating pay gaps, the union is also looking to negotiate a member pay increase for both full and part-time employees, but declined to provide a specific amount. Sign up for notifications from Insider! "We are building contingency plans, and we will take care of our customers," Tom said. See here for a complete list of exchanges and delays. Copyright 1994 - 2023 United Parcel Service of America, Inc. All rights reserved. OBriens claim that the Biden administration did not intervene in the railroad struggle last year is a bald-faced lie which insults the intelligence of the rank and file. Contract talks begin today between the United Parcel Service (UPS) and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) in Washington D.C. Ten years ago, OBrien threatened physical violence against TDU campaigners backing candidates against the James Hoffa Jr. faction of the apparatus, of which OBrien himself was a top lieutenant. Jeremy Hogan/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images. Now he has brought TDU into top responsible positions in the IBT staff and relies heavily on them to bolster his newfound reputation as a militant.. To watch the full rally in Boston, go toibt.io/upsapril2rally. Theres a lot of concern. click here. The Teamsters' UPS contract is the largest private sector collective bargaining agreement in North America. The tough approach comes in the wake of the Covid pandemic e-commerce boom that fed a spike in UPS shipping volumes, generating high profits for the company and tougher working conditions for its employees, the union has said. UPS The Teamsters contract covering 340,000 package car drivers and warehouse workers at UPS expires July 31. There will be no concessions, said Local 25 President Tom Mari. Teamsters General President Sean O'Brien will lead the union in negotiations for the first time. Since UPS and the Teamsters last negotiated a contract in 2018, the world has been through a global pandemic that workers say has worsened UPS working conditions. It would embolden in particular more than 100,000 autoworkers whose contracts expire in mid-September as well as 22,000 dockworkers on the West Coast, who have been kept on the job without a contract since last summer. We had a code of honor. Teamsters President Sean O'Brien has repeatedly said that the controversial 22.4 position is one of several issues that could lead to a strike. "Similar to how our network flexes throughout the year to meet seasonal customer demand, we are reassigning some of our employees to meet the needs of our business. The talks start in April, with the current national contract set to expire on July 31. It's off to a rocky start as O'Brien has declared that not enough progress has been made on the supplemental contracts local agreements which have been under negotiation for most of the year. Out of 40 supplements to the national contract nationwide, 30 remain unresolved after repeated delays by UPS. Blue | Bloomberg | Getty Images. Last year, UPS recorded a record $13 billion in profits off of a record $100 billion in revenue, $5 billion of which went to top executives and shareholders in stock buybacks. Teamsters General President Sean O'Brien will lead the union in negotiations for the first time. "We are hopeful that our people will be able to return to their previous positions later this year. Out of UPS' roughly 534,000 employees worldwide, 350,000 are represented by the Teamsters, per a recent company report. Teamsters Southern Region and UPS Cartage Services, Inc. Indeed, his gangster-like references to the Boston way and street fights in the weekends speech served as apt descriptions of the type of response meted out to his opponents when he was head of Joint Council 10 in New England. Reuters, the news and media division of Thomson Reuters, is the worlds largest multimedia news provider, reaching billions of people worldwide every day. On Saturday, April 15, Teamsters General President Sean OBrien, UPS Teamsters, addressed a parking lot rally at Local 952 in Orange, California. These documents are also available, in searchable format, on the UPS Rising app, available on Google Play and the App Store. The latter category, with the number referring to an article in the current contract, covers employees typically making deliveries on a Tuesday-through-Saturday schedule. For the first time, Teamsters Union President Sean O'Brien and the union's secretary of the treasury will have seats at the bargaining table and be directly involved in negotiating the terms of the new contract. "UPS told our members they were . "[The Teamsters] should've went back to the table or struck the employer," O'Brien said of the agreement in a candidate debate prior to his victory. More than 340,000 Teamsters work at UPS, protected by the largest private sector collective bargaining agreement in North America. The union agenda also includes more manageable worker schedules after the Covid-era shipping spike forced many to have to work a sixth day on the weekend what the union has coined "the sixth-day punch.". A strike could do substantial damage to UPS operations, and create problems for businesses and consumers alike. In general, the union is aiming to expand the number of full-time positions and put an end to subcontracting. "Whether there is a strike of UPS workers is up to UPS," said a spokesperson for the Teamsters. click here. Given these headwinds, UPS' path forward looks centered around cutting costs and raising prices. Full- and part-time UPS Teamsters are united for a contract that guarantees better pay for all workers, more full-time job opportunities, an end to corporate harassment and forced overtime, elimination of a two-tier wage system, and protection from heat and other workplace hazards. UPS, meanwhile, has stressed the need to reach an agreement, saying it aims to negotiate a contract that benefits all sides. Well either have a signed agreement that day or be hitting the pavement, OBrien said. UPS' Teamsters workforce going on strike would create large-scale disruptions in the company's entire network. Reuters provides business, financial, national and international news to professionals via desktop terminals, the world's media organizations, industry events and directly to consumers. Teamsters Local 174 in Washington state said UPS representatives raised the layoffs at the bargaining table with a joint council negotiating a part of their master contract, which expires July 31. The current five-year agreement expires on July 31, 2023. A UPS driver sits in his delivery truck on Jan. 31, 2023 in San Francisco, California. The affected position, according to the union, is the "22.4" driver, named for the section of the contract that created the position. International Brotherhood of Teamsters on Twitter, International Brotherhood of Teamsters on Facebook, International Brotherhood of Teamsters on YouTube, International Brotherhood of Teamsters on Instagram, Justice For Sanitation Workers at Republic/Allied Waste, Virginia is For Lovers and Organized Labor. UPS National Master Agreement, 2018 - 2023 O'Brien wants more Teamsters members to benefit from their labor. UPS's higher-paid, unionized workforce gave it an advantage during the pandemic when competitors were forced to out-bid each other to contend with a labor crunch. Apr 22, 2023, 3:15 AM PDT Labor leader Sean O'Brien, president of Teamsters labor union, speaks during the Labor Notes conference, in Chicago. By clicking Sign Up, you also agree to marketing emails from both Insider and Morning Brew; and you accept Insiders. Teamsters also want to eliminate the "22.4" employee classification, which refers to workers who often work full-time hours but are officially considered hybrid and, as a result, are paid less. The pandemic shipping boom has since eased, and UPS is now navigating how to stay profitable while volumes sag. The Teamsters and UPS have 12 weeks to come to terms before our contract expires, and UPS is not taking this seriously, said Teamsters General Secretary-Treasurer Fred Zuckerman. Volume-based discounts incentivize businesses to rely on one carrier for much of their shipping activity, and minimum volume commitments penalize shippers that don't meet certain thresholds. "We wont extend negotiations by a single day.". In that speech, OBrien also arrogantly spoke out against rank-and-file opposition to the unions betrayals by instructing workers to keep their criticism at the dinner table. This was no doubt in reference to the Railroad Workers Rank-and-File Committee, which was playing the lead role in organizing opposition to betrayals of the union bureaucracy. International Committee of the Fourth International. "There are some drivers who leave while their kids are sleeping and when they come back at night, the child is back in bed. "There can be no dispute sadly that the earth is heating up and that puts an uncomfortable situation on our employees at the peaks of the summer," Tom said on the earnings call. UPS CEO Carol Tom was compensated USD 19 million last yeara far cry from workers sleeping in shelters. In a recent interview in Jacobin magazine, the de facto house organ of the DSA, Ocasio-Cortez justified her vote in favor of imposing the contract by claiming that she was advised to do so by Railroad Workers United (RWU), the TDUs sister organization in the rail industry. Teamsters Local 804 further reported layoffs in three New York locations: Suffolk, on Long Island; Foster, in the southern tier; and Laurelton, in Queens. Some drivers say that they continue to be forced into working a sixth day or taking "excessive overtime.". Read more to find out how you can get involved and order your UPS Teamsters United lapel or t-shirt. The latest updates from our 2023 U.S. contract negotiations with the Teamsters UPS and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) are negotiating a new National Master Agreement (NMA) for about 330,000 of our U.S. employees, as well as supplemental agreements that cover specific local areas of the country. The Teamsters Union did not respond to a request for comment in time for publication. For more information, call the Teamsters Organizing Department at 202-624-8718. Average years of employment by full-time delivery drivers, Approximate number of new Teamsters-represented jobs from August 2018 February 2022 a 25% increase. Topics covered: S&OP, inventory/demand planning, technology integration, DC/warehouse management, and more. When workers in many of the biggest unions voted to reject this deal, while the rail union bureaucrats stalled for time, Biden then went to Congress to request they pass legislation banning a strike and imposing his contract, which quickly passed along bipartisan lines, including with the support of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and two other members of the Democratic Socialists of America. A strike would create large-scale disruptions in the company's network. ", Despite the long list of union demands, Tom assured analysts on the Tuesday earnings call that the company and the Teamsters are "aligned. Workers dedication to the company drove UPSs net profits to $11.2 billion in the last two years alone, yet the average UPS worker is paid 600 times less than CEO Carol Tom. By clicking Sign Up, you also agree to marketing emails from both Insider and Morning Brew; and you accept Insiders. UPS estimates that 56% of its profit will come in during the second half of the year on the bet that loosening Covid restrictions in China will help revive the company's international market. She explained that even before negotiations begin, the company was planning to bring in new technology and hydration measures to keep workers safe in dangerous heat. We will be in Washington, ready to reach agreement on all outstanding issues in our supplemental contracts. The 710 Committee spent most of the week in marathon sessions to go through more than 5,700 proposals submitted to the Local from the rank and file. UPS would not have its billion-dollar profits without hardworking Teamster members. These drivers work Tuesday through Saturday and top out at $30.64 per hour, while regular drivers can reach $42. There is no better organization to set that bar high than the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, OBrien said. We wont extend negotiations by a single day. Amling recommended for business-to-business shippers to have buffer stock on hand in the event of UPS disruptions, while business-to-consumer shippers should be ready to call on alternative carriers. Jeremy Hogan/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty. The latest updates from our 2023 U.S. contract negotiations with the Teamsters. Saudi National Bank (SNB) on Monday reported a nearly 12% increase in net profit for the first quarter from the same period a year ago on higher fees and gains from investments, the company said in a bourse statement. Now its time for UPS to pay up. Is Retail Finally Ready to Deliver on Omnichannel? Bone up on the issues the Teamsters have threatened to strike over with the stories below. Its time to end excessive overtime, the two-tier wage 22.4 classification, subcontracting, driver-facing cameras and harassment along with securing higher pay for part-timers and more full-time jobs.. Five screening subcommittees also met to review proposals on areas such as safety and health. While the Teamsters with 340,000 represented UPS employees have been trying to unionize Amazon drivers for years, their commitment to that effort was redoubled when Sean O'Brien, the . Biden intervened directly in September, shortly before the expiration of legal restrictions on the right to strike for 120,000 railroaders, to broker a sellout deal to avert a strike. The UPS contract is the largest private collective bargaining agreement in North America. Taking these steps now helps us to be a stronger company for our employees and our customers," they continued. We are sending a message to UPS that the days of concessions and walking all over our members are over, said General President Sean M. OBrien, who joined Teamsters Local 25 UPS members at a rally this morning in Boston. "Last year, UPS met individually with drivers to better understand their unique preferences, and we are making adjustments where possible," the company said. The Teamsters union has begun meetings to plan its upcoming contract negotiations with UPS. Since taking office, Bidens preferred strategy has been to disguise what are, for all intents and purpose, government strike bans by working through his proxies in the union bureaucracy, who help to block strikes and ram through substandard contracts. Her juggling skills will be tested Tuesday and in the months ahead. The contract expires next July and members will be ready to strike, union leadership told. Deniz said the Teamsters are also looking to eliminate discrepancies in pay and other areas between full-time drivers and 22.4 combination drivers. Meanwhile, UPS workers are one of the most exploited workforces in the country, with two-thirds working part-time and starting out at as little as $15.50 an hour, comparable to or less than many fast-food restaurants. It said, International Union staff should refrain from posting personal attacks against UPS leadership or employees on all social media platforms.. I will make certain supply chain stops during THIS pandemic, meaning the pandemic of UPS providing us with the best contract. National contract negotiations come just months after UPS reported record profits, including revenue exceeding$100 billion for the first time and pay of$19 millionfor UPS CEO Carol Tom. The Teamsters union is working to push starting wages above USD 20 per hour for part-timers. All submissions will remain anonymous. Photo: GAELEN MORSE/REUTERS A UPS spokesperson said the company is shifting its capacity to respond to customer demand. But I also think the risk of a strike is the highest it's been since 1997, and it's a completely different environment, Amling added. This prompted a rapid response by RWU leader Ron Kaminkow a few days later in Jacobin, claiming that she was confused and that RWU never supported a strike ban. The Teamsters United Parcel Service National Negotiating Committee and Local Unions involved shall also be advised of the exact nature of the transaction, not including financial details. In a sign of concern that Teamster officials not needlessly fan the flames of anger in the rank and file, OBrien issued an internal memo last Thursday to all international union staff regarding social media posting during contract negotiations. "If you wait until June, it will be too late," he said. In order to avoid a promised strike, O'Brien has said he wants better pay for part-time workers, an end to a lower-paid classification of weekend drivers, and a list of other demands. Negotiations for local contracts begin this month. Let Supply Chain Dive's free newsletter keep you informed, straight from your inbox. All sides are deeply nervous about the possibility of an intervention by the rank and file at UPS even more powerful than what occurred in the railroads. International Brotherhood of Teamsters on Twitter, International Brotherhood of Teamsters on Facebook, International Brotherhood of Teamsters on YouTube, International Brotherhood of Teamsters on Instagram, Justice For Sanitation Workers at Republic/Allied Waste, Virginia is For Lovers and Organized Labor. UPS Teamsters Rally for a Strong Contract with National Negotiations Set to Begin - International Brotherhood of Teamsters Press Releases UPS Teamsters Rally for a Strong Contract with National Negotiations Set to Begin 2023.04.03 340,000 UPS Teamsters Fight for Better Pay, More Full-time Jobs, Safety Carol Tom was hired to whip UPS into shape, but some insiders worry she's killing what made the company great in the first place. Tell us what you think about the start of contract talks by filling out the form below. Your membership will give the union more strength at the bargaining table and show the company that its part-timers are serious about winning higher wages and better working conditions in 2023. Webinar Keep up with the story. The latest news and information on the 2023 UPS Labor Negotiations with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT). UPS also raised shipping rates by 6.9% in December 2022. The Teamsters began supplemental negotiations with UPS in January. However, these forces have also been compromised by their role in the ban of a strike in the rail industry. The current five-year agreement expires July 31, 2023. UPS is making a joke of supplemental negotiations. (BOSTON) UPS Teamsters, General President Sean M. OBrien, and General Secretary-Treasurer Fred Zuckerman rallied at Teamsters Local 25 in Boston on April 2 as they prepare to begin national negotiations for a new contract protecting more than 340,000 package delivery drivers and warehouse logistics workers nationwide. Today UPS has roughly 350,000 Teamster employees, including drivers, package handlers, and loaders, out of 534,000 global staff. The Teamsters union is largely looking to address scheduling issues that have cropped up since the COVID-19 pandemic fueled a surge in package volumes, Deniz said in an interview. Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. This reevaluation is more complicated for UPS's 350,000 union employees especially since the existing contract expires this year. which quickly passed along bipartisan lines, Teamsters bureaucracy offers hot air to UPS workers at contract rallies, Teamsters presidents message to railroad workers: Stop complaining about union betrayals to outsiders, Democratic Socialists of America scrambles to defend its role in imposing rail contract. G.V. That, however, was only the fig leafwhich they knew would never pass the Senate and structured the vote to make sure that its defeat there would not delay a strike banwhich the Democrats used to give themselves cover. The upcoming UPS contract is expected to cover approximately 330,000 employees in a five-year deal that will extend through 2028. Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. [Those drivers] lose the entire day working," said Deniz, the Teamsters spokesperson.