Teamsters Set New UPS Strike Deadline
The Teamsters, saying negotiations had yielded little progress, set a new strike deadline of midnight tonight as union negotiators prepared to send revised demands to United Parcel Service.
“The brown trucks won’t be rolling unless this company agrees to provide the good jobs that American families need,” union President Ron Carey said Saturday.
After 15 hours of talks over two days at the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, frustrated union officials said there wasn’t much bargaining going on.
“I’m disappointed by the lack of progress,” Carey said after he asked for a recess to discuss the situation with his bargaining committee Friday night.
John Wells, the federal mediator, said Saturday that he was in phone contact with both the union and the company, but he gave no indication the two sides were ready to resume direct talks.
A UPS spokeswoman, Gina Ellrich, called the union’s decision to set a strike deadline “very unfortunate” and said “we’re eager to continue talking with the union.”
The 50-member bargaining committee met late into the night Friday, going over the contract proposal item by item to see if there were any changes that might generate more fruitful discussions with the package delivery giant.
Wells said the union gave him a “comprehensive” revised proposal, which he forwarded to UPS bargainers. He said further telephone discussions were planned for today. The latest proposal included new offers regarding full-time positions and wages, according to the union.
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But union officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the company had failed to address their key issues of ending subcontracting, creating more full-time jobs and increasing wages.
The union set its new strike deadline after postponing the original deadline Thursday night at the request of the federal mediator.
Atlanta-based UPS carries about 12 million parcels and documents a day. Questions about its labor situation have led customers to seek alternative carriers. Ellrich said “hundreds of thousands of packages” have been diverted to other companies and that hundreds of UPS workers have been laid off.
Along with increases in pay and pensions, the Teamsters have pressed UPS to limit subcontracting, strengthen safety and health provisions and create more full-time jobs. About two-thirds of the employees represented by the union work part time.
The company said that in addition to a modest wage increase, the offer it made Wednesday included a $3,060 bonus for full-time employees and $1,530 for part-timers. Full-time UPS drivers earn $19.95 an hour on average.
UPS also said it would create 1,000 new full-time jobs and give part-timers a leg up in applying for full-time positions when they become open. The Teamsters have demanded more full-time jobs.
