Teamsters voted by an 86.3 percent margin to ratify what the union called "the most historic collective bargaining agreement in the history of UPS." The five-year contract covers more than 340,000 UPS Teamsters, raising wages for full- and part-time workers, creating more full-time jobs, and securing workplace protections, including air conditioning.
The agreement passed by the highest vote for a contract in the history of the Teamsters at UPS, according to a statement issued by the union Tuesday, Aug. 22.
All supplemental agreements were ratified as well, except for the Local 769 LAI supplement which covers 174 members in Florida. The national master agreement will go into effect as soon as this supplement is renegotiated and ratified. The UPS Teamsters National Negotiating Committee will immediately meet with the company to work to resolve any outstanding issues with the supplement. Upon resolution, the adjusted supplement would be voted on by respective UPS Teamsters in-person in their area.
“Our members just ratified the most lucrative agreement the Teamsters have ever negotiated at UPS," said Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien. "This contract will improve the lives of hundreds of thousands of workers,. Teamsters have set a new standard and raised the bar for pay, benefits, and working conditions in the package delivery industry. This is the template for how workers should be paid and protected nationwide, and nonunion companies like Amazon better pay attention.”
Highlights of the tentative 2023-2028 UPS Teamsters National Master Agreement include:
- Existing full- and part-time UPS Teamsters will get $2.75 more per hour in 2023. Over the length of the contract, wage increases will total $7.50 per hour
- Existing part-timers will be raised to no less than $21 per hour immediately
- New part-time hires at UPS will start at $21 per hour and advance to $23 per hour
- Safety and health protections, including vehicle air conditioning and cargo ventilation. UPS will equip in-cab A/C in all larger delivery vehicles, sprinter vans, and package cars purchased after Jan. 1, 2024. Two fans, heat exhaust shields, and air induction vents in the cargo compartments will be retrofitted into all cars
- All UPS Teamsters will receive Martin Luther King Day as a full holiday for the first time
- The creation of 7,500 new full-time Teamster jobs at UPS and the fulfillment of 22,500 open positions
