A self-proclaimed “radical”, O’Brien has vowed to build a much tougher relationship with his predecessor than his predecessor. And it could strike the country’s largest union employer when the Team Stars UPS (UPS) contract expires on July 31, 2023.
If that happens, it will be the country’s largest and most devastating strike in decades.
The Team Stars union is no longer strangler figs on the national truck system, as it was in the 1960s when Hofa’s father ran it. However, it still represents UPS’s 327,000 employees, which is the country’s largest trucking and supply management company.
O’Brien seems to be ruining the fight. “He never falls into a situation where he wants a strike,” he told CNN Business this week. “But it’s important to understand that these employers aren’t afraid to trigger that as needed.”
He points out the record interests of the UPS and the union’s $ 350 million strike fund, discussing the dynamics of future negotiations, the negotiations he intends to lead, which his predecessor never did. rice field.
“UPS has succeeded. We will take advantage of that success,” O’Brien said. “People are tired of seeing these companies making billions of profits and not sharing wealth.”
Despite record profits, UPS says it needs competitive trading
UPS does not comment directly on O’Brien’s position, but said he believes the company can find a way to work with the union.
“UPS and Teamsters have been working together for almost 100 years to meet the needs of UPS employees, customers, and the communities in which we live and work,” the company said in a statement to CNN Business. I am saying. “We continue to find something in common with Team Stars and believe that we will reach a good agreement for everyone involved.”
The company’s statement disagrees with revoking some of the profits from previous contracts that confused leadership critics of team stars like O’Brien, such as the two-step wage system for some UPS members. Seems to suggest.
“The delivery and logistics industry is becoming more and more competitive. The focus of the negotiations is to agree on a contract that provides the flexibility that UPS needs to maintain a proven track record of industry-leading and reliable services. “The company added.
Strike “almost certain”
Some external observers believe that next year’s UPS strike is inevitable.
“I don’t have a crystal ball, but unless the UPS has read the text on the wall, the strike is almost certain,” said Todd Vachon, assistant professor and director of labor education at Rutgers University. ..
Vachon points out other recent strikes in which workers rejected a favorable modus vivendi between their union leadership and company owners.
Last year, about 10,000 members of the United Auto Workers were agricultural tool maker John Deere & Co. He voted against such an agreement twice because he had reported record profits in (DE). After five weeks of strikes, union members eventually accepted a deal that gave them a 10% salary increase, a $ 8,500 contract, an additional fixed salary increase, a lump sum payment, and a living expense increase. “I think these upcoming UPSs will rhyme with John Deere a lot,” Vachon said.O’Brien’s election is just He added that it is the latest sign of increased fighting power among the members of Rank and File.
The current contract at UPS was signed in 2018 over 54% of the Rank and File Team Stars who voted against it.The rules of the union at the time made it possible for the agreement to come into effect. If less than two-thirds of all members participate in the ratification vote.
Unpopular deals were a major factor in O’Brien’s elections in November. After Hofa chose not to seek another term, he defeated Hofa-backed candidates.
A brown truck carrying 6% of US GDP
The strike at UPS will be big enough to stave off the entire US economy. UPS estimates that trucks carry more than 6% of US gross domestic product. This is the broadest measure of US economic activity. The company also processes 2% of global GDP.
UPS has grown significantly since the 16-day strike in 1997, when the union represented 180,000 employees. According to Labor Ministry statistics, this was the largest US outage in 30 years.
UPS strikes are currently the largest in decades and perhaps the largest US strike to date for a single company.
O’Brien’s career is very different from that of James Hoffa, who was a union lawyer before becoming president. O’Brien is a fourth-generation team star who joined the union at the age of 18 as a heavy equipment driver in the Boston metropolitan area.
When asked about the biggest differences from his predecessor, O’Brien said, “One is that there are leaders who have improved their ranks and files.”
O’Brien is pleased with the recent signs of the strength of the U.S. labor movement, and after years of accepting concessions such as the two-tier wage system, the current environment is at a turning point in labor relations. I think it is likely to be.
“I am willing to fight my boss,” O’Brien said. “”[Workers] We want to enjoy the benefits of their labor and not sacrifice balance sheet profits. “