Boston Mass, – Led by Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien, UPS Teamsters rallied at IBT Local 25 in Boston on April 2. More than 340,000 Teamsters will be affected by a new UPS contract.
“We will set tone for organized labor and the entire country with this contract. There is no better organization to set that bar high than the International Brotherhood of Teamsters,” O’Brien said. “We are not going to accept and take what UPS gives us. UPS Teamsters have fire in their eyes and the intestinal fortitude to take on this company.”
The Teamsters’ national master contract with UPS is the largest private-sector collective bargaining agreement in North America. Negotiations for a new deal begin April 17 in Washington, DC. UPS Teamsters are prepared to strike if UPS fails to deliver by the contract’s expiration on July 31.
“We are going into negotiations, and we told UPS very clearly we want a strong contract for our members and we want it done on time. On August 1, if we don’t have the contract you deserve, there will be no UPS Teamsters working,” Zuckerman said.
UPS Teamsters are united for a contract that guarantees better pay, more full-time job opportunities, an end to forced overtime, elimination of a two-tier wage system, and protection from heat and other workplace hazards.
“We are here to send UPS one message — that we are united in this fight. Throughout the pandemic we’ve worked six, seven days a week, and we are going to make sure we get what we deserve,” said Sal Valenti, a UPS Teamster and New England negotiating committee member.
National contract negotiations come just months after UPS reported record profits, including revenue exceeding $100 billion. Additional rallies are planned nationwide. There are 176 Teamster local unions in the country.
