UPS Drivers Ready to Resume Service

United Parcel Service’s familiar brown trucks are expected to begin rolling along Ventura County’s streets today, the day after a tentative settlement was reached in a 15-day strike that disrupted deliveries for many businesses.

However, picket lines remained up at 6 p.m. Tuesday, with striking workers awaiting word that the strike was officially over.

But union rank and file claimed victory in the labor dispute that idled more than 600 employees in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties, almost 400 of them part-time workers.

About 10,000 full-time jobs will be created nationwide, which are expected to be filled by the company’s armada of part-time employees. How many new jobs will be created locally is unclear.

In addition, full-time workers will receive raises of $3.10 an hour and part-timers $4.10 an hour over the length of the five-year contract.

“I believe we basically won this hands down,” said chief steward Ron Jessa of Ventura, a 10-year UPS employee.

“If the company is going to keep making more and more profit off the sake of the laborer, the laborer should have a share of that.”

Businesses that rely on UPS were welcoming the end of the strike as well.

For small automotive supply company PR Supply of Oxnard, which has about 200 packages waiting to be shipped to customers, the strike meant $10,000 in lost revenues.

“We were shipping with the post office, but we’re not going to ship today,” owner Brian Davis said Tuesday. “We’re keeping our fingers crossed.”

Bill Elder, a spokesman for Teamsters Local 186 in Ventura, said he didn’t believe there would be long-term lingering resentment from UPS customers.

“In most strikes there may be some bitter feeling for a short period of time,” he said. “I believe that will pass. . . . The UPS employees on the street are quality employees who will attract the customers back.”