UPS workers approve new labor contract, ending strike threat

UPS workers voted to ratify the five-year contract agreed to last month
The deal was reached just in time to avoid a possibly crippling strike
'Teamsters have set a new standard and raised the bar': Union president

Updated: Aug 22, 2023 / 04:37 PM EDT

A United Parcel Service delivery driver steers his truck, Friday, June 30, 2023, in the East Boston neighborhood of Boston. Frustrated by what he called an “appalling counterproposal” earlier this week, Teamsters General President Sean O’Brien, the head of the union representing 340,000 UPS workers, said a strike now appears inevitable and gave the shipping giant a Friday deadline to improve its offer. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

(NewsNation) — UPS workers voted to ratify a Teamsters-negotiated deal nearly one month after it was reached.

“The five-year contract protects and rewards more than 340,000 UPS Teamsters nationwide, raising wages for full- and part-time workers, creating more full-time jobs, and securing important workplace protections, including air conditioning,” Teamsters said in a statement.

Over 86% of UPS union members voted in favor of the five-year contract, officially removing the threat of a strike, the union said.

The deal was tentatively reached on July 25, just one week before the union had been set to go on strike. Experts predicted a strike could have led to pandemic-era supply chain issues, impacting up to 30% of packages shipped in the U.S.

The ratification of the contract after four weeks of voting marks a major victory in the labor movement

“This contract will improve the lives of hundreds of thousands of workers,” Teamsters President Sean O’Brien said in a statement Tuesday. “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.”