Teamsters reach ‘historic’ deal with UPS, averting potential strike

SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. — The potential UPS worker strike has been avoided.

Teamsters reached what they call “the most historic tentative agreement” Tuesday with UPS to raise wages for all workers, create more full-time jobs, and add dozens of workplace protections and improvements.

Existing full and part-time UPS Teamsters will get $2.75 more per hour in 2023 and $7.50 more per hour over the length of the contract.

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Existing part-timers will be raised up to no less than $21 per hour immediately.

General wage increases for part-time workers will be double the amount obtained in the previous UPS Teamsters contract.

Existing part-time workers will receive a 48 percent average total wage increase over the next five years.

Wage increases for full-timers bring their average top rate to $49 per hour, making them the highest-paid delivery drivers in the nation.

New part-time UPS hires would start at $21 per hour and advance to $23 per hour.

All UPS teamsters would receive Martin Luther King Day as a full holiday for the first time.

Teamster drivers would no longer be forced to work overtime on their days off.

“Rank-and-file UPS Teamsters sacrificed everything to get this country through a pandemic and enabled UPS to reap record-setting profits. Teamster labor moves America. 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,” said Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien. “UPS has put $30 billion in new money on the table as a direct result of these negotiations. We’ve changed the game, battling it out day and night to make sure our members won an agreement that pays strong wages, rewards their labor, and doesn’t require a single concession. This contract sets a new standard in the labor movement and raises the bar for all workers.”

On July 31, representatives of the Teamster locals in the U.S. and Puerto Rico will meet to review and recommend the tentative agreement.

Member voting will begin August 3 and conclude August 22.

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens issued the following statement about the five-year tentative agreement:

“UPS and its workforce are essential to our economy.  From package handlers and drivers to management and support staff, every role is critical to the success of the global logistics economy that many businesses rely on every day. I am glad to see both sides are coming back to the negotiating table next week to resolve the few remaining open issues. With both parties motivated, I’m excited for a resolution that will support our local and global workforce with UPS headquartered right here in the heart of Atlanta.”

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