The UPS contract expires exactly one year from today. In the last two UPS contracts, the Hoffa-Hall crew has settled early and they have settled short. The contract expiration date gives us bargaining leverage. It’s time to use it to win the contract members deserve. 

Our Teamsters Union used to bargain up to, and even past, the contract expiration date at UPS. The result was stronger contracts.

In 1997, we took on UPS and won a historic strike victory that delivered pension improvements, subcontracting protections and the first 22.3 full-time jobs in our union’s history.

In 2002, the IBT didn’t settle until two weeks before the contract expired. These two contracts won 20,000 full-time 22.3 jobs. The last two contracts combined have resulted in just 2,500 new 22.3 jobs.

The lesson is clear. The contract expiration date gives us bargaining leverage. UPS worries about losing customers—and they get much more serious about negotiating a fair agreement.

In the past two contracts, the Hoffa-Hall administration has given away our leverage by settling months before the contract expires—and the result has been a failure for UPS Teamsters.

With UPS making billions in profits, Hoffa and Hall gave the company givebacks in 2013.

Over 100,000 Teamsters took healthcare cuts. Retiree healthcare costs were hiked for tens of thousands of members. The progression to top pay was frozen.

We came away empty-handed on key issues like harassment, excessive discipline, full-time jobs, and excessive overtime.

UPS Freight Teamsters were also hit with a substandard contract.

We can’t let this happen again.

We have serious issues that need to be addressed at UPS—starting with reversing the givebacks in the last contract. We need to improve our benefits, not cut them.

UPS Teamsters are fed up with harassment, 9.5 violations, subcontracting, a weak grievance procedure and other problems that have been ignored for too long. We need higher part-time wages and more full-time jobs.

UPS Freight Teamsters deserve an end to subcontracting, real work rules, a stronger grievance procedure, and wage and benefit improvements.

It’s time to make a stand.

Last time, Hoffa and Hall settled early, settled short, and sold out the members.

It’s time to fight for the contracts that members deserve.

Reprinted from Teamsters United