ATLANTA — The Teamsters Union of United Parcel Service workers ended negotiations with UPS for the day, as the deadline to come to a deal or face a potential strike draws near.
The deadline for negotiations on the union contracts is Wednesday.
According to a release from the Teamsters Union, not reaching a deal won’t hurt the workers, but will have an impact on the American supply chain.
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Using strong language, the Teamsters said UPS is “on the verge of doing great damage to our supply chain,” as negotiations continue.
The union is asking for higher wages and pension increases for their members, but said company leaders had not met with them for several hours.
The Teamsters have given UPS until 8 a.m. Wednesday to reach a final agreement on the new tentative contract, or risk a workers’ strike.
“The Teamsters are always ready to work, and we come prepared to every bargaining session. UPS, on the other hand, seems to require some special treatment,” Teamsters Union General Secretary-Treasurer Fred Zuckerman said. “We’re not just going to sit around and wait for their side to make up their minds. Our members don’t deserve that. UPS needs to find some more hustle in these final hours if they have any hope.”
If the contract isn’t approved, the International Brother Hood of Teamsters would vote to start a national strike, meaning more than 340,000 workers could potentially stop working until an agreement is reached.
Leaders from the union said it could be the biggest strike in U.S. history.
“The largest single-employer strike in American history now appears inevitable,” Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien said previously. “Executives at UPS, some of whom get tens of millions of dollars a year, do not care about the hundreds of thousands of American workers who make this company run. They don’t care about our members’ families. UPS doesn’t want to pay up. Their actions and insults at the bargaining table have proven they are just another corporation that wants to keep all the money at the top. Working people who bust their asses every single day do not matter, not to UPS.”
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Earlier comments from UPS said they had amended their contract proposal to meet “key demands” from the union.
UPS expanded their comments, saying that “Reaching consensus requires time and serious, detailed discussion, but it also requires give-and-take from both sides. We’re working around the clock to reach an agreement that strengthens our industry-leading pay and benefits ahead of the current contract’s expiration on August 1.”
In mid-June, UPS agreed to add air conditioning units in work trucks and other vehicles to help deal with the heat their drivers and workers face, but that was just one request the union included in their new contract.
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