LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Teamsters union has voted to ratify a new contract with shipping giant UPS. Of the members who voted, 86.3% voted yes.
In a post on social media, Teamsters officials said the five-year contract raises wages for full and part-time workers, creates more full-time jobs and secures important workplace protections. There are more than 340,000 Teamsters members working for UPS nationwide.
Workers will get a raise of $2.75 an hour and over the length of the contract, the wages will increase a total of $7.50 an hour. Part-time workers will now make no less than $21 an hour.
“Our members just ratified the most lucrative agreement the Teamsters have ever negotiated at UPS. This contract will improve the lives of hundreds of thousands of workers,” Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien said in a statement. “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.”
According to the union, this is the highest percentage of votes in favor of a UPS contract in its history.
Only one supplemental agreement wasn't ratified, officials said. The national master agreement will go into effect once that's been finalized.
The Louisville local was the only one in the country to vote against recommending the proposal to its members, but reversed course days later.
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