A United Parcel Service (UPS) driver pushes a trolley full of packages toward a delivery van on a New York street.
Victor J. Blue | Bloomberg | Getty Images
ups The Truckers union, which represents the package delivery company’s 340,000 workers, said Tuesday it had reached a preliminary labor deal that included wage increases for full-time and part-time workers and narrowly avoided a potential strike that could start next week.
“Together, we have reached a win-win agreement on an issue that is important to Trucker leadership, our employees, and UPS and our customers,” said UPS CEO Carol Tome. “This agreement continues to reward UPS’s full-time and part-time employees with industry-leading compensation and benefits, while retaining the flexibility we need to remain competitive, serve our customers and keep our business strong.”
It’s the latest in a string of labor agreements that have seen workers fight for and win higher wages, from pilots to aerospace manufacturing employees.
The union said existing part-time workers would earn at least $21 an hour if workers approve the new contracts. Full-time workers average $49 an hour. Mandatory overtime on drivers’ rest days will also end, according to the contract outline provided by the truck drivers. UPS did not immediately confirm the potential new wages.
The tentative agreement still needs to be approved by a worker vote. If the two sides fail to reach an agreement, the union may start a large-scale strike after July 31.
“The union is invested in this fight and committed to winning for our members. We asked for the best contract in UPS history, and we got it,” Sean O’Brien, president of the Teamsters union, said in a statement. “UPS has committed $30 billion in new funding as a direct result of these negotiations.”
Some recent labor negotiations have yet to produce any agreement.Pilots for UPS rivals on Monday fedex A temporary labor deal was rejected, with 57 percent voting against it.
