Potential UPS strike: Where talks stand and what to expect
NBCAug 02, 2023
The Facts
UPS and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, a union representing more than 300K UPS employees in the US, on Tuesday agreed to a tentative five-year collective bargaining agreement that will avert the threat of a strike that had been set to begin August 1.
UPS Teamsters will vote to ratify the new agreement — reportedly worth $30B — next month, with electronic voting commencing on August 3 and closing on August 22.
The Spin
Left narrative
This tentative settlement between the Teamsters and UPS underscores what can be achieved when labor fights are carried out fairly on a balanced playing field, and will likely teach a lesson to anti-union companies who may believe they have the upper hand over workers. Given that failed negotiations cause enduring damages to both sides, it's unwise for bosses to play chicken with unions.
Right narrative
Another decade, another Teamsters-UPS deal mistakenly being touted as a resurgence of the American union movement. Just like in 1997, when UPS capitulated to pressures from this cartel and again sought to crush competition among labor sellers despite the company losing market shares. It's competition and entrepreneurship, rather than unions, that provide prosperity for workers.
