Teamsters expected to authorize a nationwide UPS strike for this summer

Teamsters UPS drivers are expected to authorize a nationwide strike Friday, which would give union leaders the right to call for a strike if a satisfactory contract for more than 340,000 UPS employees is not reached by July 31.

While authorization of a national strike does not mean the strike will necessarily happen, it sets up the possibility for significant economic disruptions this summer because the strike would be the largest in 26 years.  

The International Brotherhood of Teamsters and UPS officials have been in talks since early May, and the contract would set pay and working conditions for the more than 340,000 UPS employees.

Voting for the authorization of a national strike began last week in more than 170 Teamster local unions, and results will be announced Friday. Union leaders say they are already seeing a “national groundswell” of support on the ground.

“In just the last eight days, a national groundswell of Teamster action has erupted, stirring UPS hubs in major cities, remote rural barns, and everywhere in between,” Teamster said in a press release Wednesday.

“UPS Teamsters are packing union halls and forming lines that spill into the parking lots as they eagerly cast their votes to authorize a strike at the world’s largest package delivery company,” it continued

Teamster negotiators scored a win to install air conditioning in vehicles Tuesday because many UPS drivers face heat-related health issues. Several other deals were struck Tuesday, but key issues remain, such as raising pay and eliminating the reliance on lower-paid drivers.

“The time has come to use our strongest leverage and officially remind UPS that hundreds of thousands of Teamsters are ready to withhold our labor to ensure UPS acts accordingly,” Teamsters General President Sean O’Brien said in a press release at the start of the authorization vote last week. “The National Committee strongly urges all UPS Teamsters to vote YES to authorize a strike. This is how we win.”