If the strike takes place, it might be the most important strike towards a single employer in U.S. historical past.
In a landslide vote on Friday, United Parcel Service staff represented by the Teamsters licensed a nationwide strike as a part of their effort to win a powerful contract in ongoing negotiations.
The Teamsters mentioned in a statement that 97% of UPS staff represented by the union voted in help of a strike if there’s no acceptable cope with administration by July 31, when the present contract — the most important of its type in North America — expires.
The union represents greater than 340,000 UPS package deal supply drivers and warehouse logistics staff throughout the U.S.
HuffPost’s Dave Jamieson noted that if the strike takes place, it might be “the most important U.S. strike ever towards a single employer, primarily based on the variety of staff concerned.”
Sean O’Brien, the union’s president, mentioned Friday’s vote “exhibits that tons of of hundreds of Teamsters are united and decided to get the most effective contract in our historical past at UPS.”
“If this multibillion-dollar company fails to ship on the contract that our hardworking members deserve, UPS will likely be putting itself,” mentioned O’Brien. “The strongest leverage our members have is their labor and they’re ready to withhold it to make sure UPS acts accordingly.”
🚨UPS TEAMSTERS AUTHORIZE STRIKE BY 97%!🚨
1997: the final #Teamsters #strike at @UPS
97%: UPS Teamsters strike vote authorization in 2023Learn extra: https://t.co/wTdnazKAdW #1u ✊✊✊
— Teamsters (@Teamsters) June 16, 2023
The strike authorization vote got here days after the Teamsters reached a tentative agreement with UPS to require air con in new supply vehicles bought after January 1, 2024.
However a lot of key points stay unresolved.
The Teamsters mentioned Friday that UPS staff are pushing for “a brand new five-year settlement that ensures greater wages for all staff, extra full-time jobs, an finish to compelled time beyond regulation and harassment from administration, elimination of a two-tier wage system, and safety from warmth and different office hazards.”
Fred Zuckerman, the Teamsters’ secretary-treasurer, mentioned Friday that “this strike authorization vote sends a transparent message to UPS that our members are damned and decided to take vital motion to safe a historic contract that respects their dedication and sacrifice.”
“Our members are the spine of UPS, and they’re the rationale this company hauled in additional than $100 billion in income simply final 12 months,” Zuckerman added. “It’s time for UPS to pay up.”
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