UPS agrees to settlement in principle with Teamsters union

UPS has made a handshake deal with Teamsters, on behalf of the union's UPS members in the US.

The current contract expires on 31st July 2018. UPS and Teamsters have negotiated an hourly wage increase of $4.15 over five years and a starting wage for part-time workers of $13 an hour, as of 1st August.

Two weeks ago, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters announced that their UPS and UPS Freight members had endorsed strike action, if necessary, ahead of the negotiations, but UPS claimed that they had already reached agreements on a number of issues.

“The National Negotiating Committee has agreed to a settlement in principle on the National Master Agreement (NMA), subject to the resolution of supplemental agreements and approval by UPS local unions,” Teamsters said in a statement.

Denis Taylor, co-chairman of the UPS National Negotiating committee, said he is “confident that once the membership has reviewed and understood the changes, they will see that this agreement is among the very best ever negotiated for UPS members.”

“Months of collective bargaining have culminated in a tentative agreement for UPS and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters,” said UPS. “The five-year agreement, which is subject to ratification, covers Teamsters-represented UPS employees in small package roles.

“UPS’s goal has been to reward the company’s employees for their contributions to its success while enabling the business to remain flexible to meet its customers’ needs – each of these goals have been met in the new agreement.”

The courier company stated that negotiations continue for supplemental agreements covering local work rules, and UPS Freight employees will be subject to a separate agreement.

(Source: Air Cargo News)