The Teamsters Union announced on 25 April that it had reached tentative agreements with UPS and UPS Freight on new five-year national contracts for package and freight workers that protect their health care benefits, provide substantial wage increases and significantly raise contributions to pension and health and welfare benefits.
The UPS contract is the largest collective bargaining agreement in North America. The five-year contracts will cover nearly 250,000 workers at UPS and UPS Freight. Upon ratification, the agreements will take effect on 1 August.
“This is a great day for the Teamsters Union,” said general president Jim Hoffa, co-chair of the Teamsters national negotiating committees. “At a time when workers and their pay, benefits and working conditions are under attack by corporate America, we have succeeded in improving the lives of our hardworking and dedicated UPS and UPS Freight Teamsters for years to come. These tentative agreements are shining examples to the entire country of a hugely successful unionized company that thrives because of its workers.”
The UPS tentative agreement offers workers substantial pay raises, including a significant increase in the starting wage rate for part-time employees, and creates over 2,000 full-time jobs from the ranks of part-time workers. Some 140,000 package employees will move from company plans into Teamster-controlled health plans to maintain current strong benefits for all UPS Teamsters, while growing the funds for Teamsters in all industries into the future.
For UPS Freight, the tentative agreement resolves subcontracting issues by putting all laid-off road drivers back to work; offers workers substantial wage increases and lower co-pays for health insurance; and will enable more part-time workers to become full time.
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