The US faces its biggest strike ever as 350,000 UPS workers will go on strike for better conditions, even though couriers are already making $95,000 a year.
UPS’s contract expires on July 31, 2023, and 350,000 of its 534,000 employees are expected to go on strike to demand better conditions.
Teamsters are calling for air conditioning in the back of trucks after several workers were injured or died due to hot conditions, better wage packages and benefits.
If workers are going on strike, it will be the first time since 1997, when workers demanded full-time jobs and the union wanted to retain control of the pension fund.
Labor experts suspect the unionized workers will go on strike sometime in the spring while the contract is being negotiated, and it will affect the whole country.
The 1997 strike lasted 15 days and affected 80 percent of shipments, causing UPS to lose $780 million, according to Parcel.
Now UPS controls around six percent of the country’s GDP, and as the pandemic explodes a new level of online retail business, the company has added 72,000 unionized jobs since 2020.
UPS moves around 21.5 million packages a day, according to CNN Business, and its rival companies — FedEx and Amazon — don’t have the same capacity to manage that many packages.
UPS’s contract expires on July 31, 2023 and 350,000 of its 534,000 employees are expected to go on strike to demand better conditions (Image: NYC workers).
Current President Sean O’Brien – who won office by prioritizing the UPS contract – has also reminded workers that there is a $300 million strike fund to cover payroll during the strike , and plans to demand better wages and benefits and air conditioning in the back of trucks
UPS said in a statement that it wants to reach a peaceful deal that “brings benefits to our employees and gives UPS the flexibility to remain competitive in a rapidly changing industry.”
“UPS and the Teamsters have worked together for nearly 100 years to meet the needs of UPS employees, customers and the communities in which we live and work. We believe we will continue to find common ground with the Teamsters and reach an agreement that is good for all parties involved,” the company said in a statement, according to CNN Business.
Tensions between the company and its employees have been rising since 2018 after the last contract was ratified by former Teamster President James Hoffa. The vote was held because not enough workers ratified the vote to trigger a strike, according to CNN Business.
Current President Sean O’Brien – who won office by prioritizing the UPS contract – has also reminded workers that there is a $300 million strike fund to cover payroll during the strike cover up.
“Do our members wake up every day wanting a strike? I would say no But are you fed up? Yeah, they’re fed up,” O’Brien told CNN Business. “Whether there is a strike or not is entirely up to the companies. We will use as much leverage as possible to get our members the contract they deserve.’
According to CNN Business, UPS drivers already make around $95,000 a year and receive an additional $50,000 in benefits. Truck drivers earn even more.
According to Youtuber Laos House, who works at the store, UPS’s starting salary is between $2 and $5 more than its competitors.
The average delivery driver makes around $95,000 at the company and the average salary is reportedly around $44,452. UPS pays a lot more than its competitors
The New Jersey mega-corporation reportedly starts at $22 an hour, compared to the lowest at $17 via FedEx Ground. The second highest is Amazon and the US Postal Service at $18 per hour, the second highest is FedEx Express at $20 per hour.
Reportedly, other airlines’ maximum hourly rates range from $6 to $14 an hour, and $38 in New Jersey.
According to Business Insider, the median salary is $44,254 at UPS, $29,007 at Amazon, and $49,059 at FedEx.
In addition, workers want air conditioning for the back of the truck, which can reach triple-digit temperatures in the summer — especially after several have been injured or even killed.
In early July, 24-year-old worker Esteban Chavez Jr., known as Stevie, was delivering packages when he suddenly collapsed while on shift in California.
Chavez’s family believe he died from the high temperatures.
“Everyone knows it’s pretty hot out there, these trucks are a hot box,” Chavez Sr said. “They have all these guys running around delivering packages and trying to meet their quotas and get their jobs done.”
The UPS driver had just turned 24 the day before his death and was returning to work after taking time off to heal from a shoulder injury.
“It is not a difficult task for the company to install an air conditioner. There’s a lot of heat stroke,” O’Brien told CNN
Brooklyn-based Teamster 804 President Vinnie Perrone told News 12 that “no action was taken” because of the heat-related incidents the team was facing.
“They’re basically just playing deaf,” Perrone said. “We still have concerns about the safety of our members inside and outside of the buildings.”
UPS CEO Carol Tome said the company’s contracts are competitive for the labor shortage and the company wants a “win-win” situation.
According to CNN Business, UPS also said it is preparing contingency plans in case workers go on strike.