UPS to train nonunion employees as talks stall with union for 340,000 workers and deadline nears
FILE- United Parcel Service trucks are seen parked at a distribution facility, Friday, June 30, 2023, in Boston. A little more than a week after contract talks between UPS and the union representing 340,000 of its workers broke down, UPS said Friday, July 14, 2023, it will begin training many of its non-union employees in the U.S. to step in should there be a strike, which the union has vowed to do if no agreement is reached by the end of this month.
FILE - Delivery vehicles remain idle outside a UPS depot, Thursday, June 29, 2023, in New York. A little more than a week after contract talks between UPS and the union representing 340,000 of its workers broke down, UPS said Friday, July 14, 2023, it will begin training many of its non-union employees in the U.S. to step in should there be a strike, which the union has vowed to do if no agreement is reached by the end of this month.
A little more than a week after contract talks between UPS and the union representing 340,000 of its workers broke down, UPS said it will begin training nonunion employees in the U.S. to step in should there be a strike, which the union has vowed to do if no agreement is reached by the end of this month.
UPS said Friday that the training is a temporary plan that has no impact on current operations.
“While we have made great progress and are close to reaching an agreement, we have a responsibility as an essential service provider to take steps to help ensure we can deliver our customers’ packages if the Teamsters choose to strike,” UPS said.
Last week both sides blamed the other for walking away from talks, which now appear to be at a stalemate with a July 31 deadline approaching fast.
Teamster-represented UPS workers voted for a strike authorization last month and union chief Sean O’Brien previously said that a strike was imminent. On Friday, O’Brien joined union workers in a picketing dry-run in Brooklyn, New York.
Businesses have already begun to prepare for a strike, seeking alternate services for delivery.