An organizing drive by UPS Admins and Specialists in Louisville, and a well-timed strike notice, pave the way for thousands of nonunion UPS workers to join the Teamsters.
Newly organized UPS specialists take the union oath.
Source: Teamsters Local 135
Some 6,500 nonunion UPS specialists and administrative workers across the country are now eligible to join the Teamsters under a card check neutrality agreement.
A card check neutrality agreement allows workers to become Teamsters without election delays and management union-busting.
This is a great outcome, but it took a fight to get here.
Laying the Groundwork
During the fall of 2022, while UPS Teamsters were organizing their contract campaign, UPS admins and specialists at the Louisville Centennial Hub (LCH) were also quietly beginning to organize.
Admins and specialists in LCH have struggled with challenging working conditions and unreliable pay and benefits.
“The company cut our pensions. Part-time supervisors got raises and bonuses while we didn’t get anything,” said Teresa Ater, a 28-year feeder administrator.
She and other admins and specialists contacted Local 89 and began preparing for a union election.
“My brother is a Teamster driver, my kids are union workers. The union makes a better career,” said Ater.
“The Teamster contract campaign being so visible helped,” said Pete Hinton, a simulation specialist. “We talked about having the Teamsters in our corner to maintain our quality of life and not get left behind.”
Union Busting is Disgusting
By early 2023, a majority of admins and specialists at LCH had signed union cards and were ready to file for a union election with the National Labor Relations Board. That was when the union busting began.
“Management used the carrot and the stick,” said Hinton, showing workers anti-union videos and holding daily captive audience meetings.
But the tight-knit group stood strong and didn’t let the company’s tactics wear them down.
“The union stewards helped us through the election,” said Ater. More than two-thirds of the workers voted yes.
The decisive victory didn’t end UPS’s union busting efforts. UPS illegally fired the 35 specialists in retaliation. The company also laid off specialists in Chicago Local 705.
Solidarity & Strike Threat
Management’s brazen retaliation was met with Teamster solidarity and a well-aimed strike notice.
“After management walked us out, we passed out flyers to UPS Teamsters. They were so supportive and ready to strike for us,” said Ater.
IBT General President Sean O’Brien put UPS on notice that Teamsters would throw up picket lines in Louisville if the company did not return the specialists to work.
Chicago Local 705 and Rhode Island Local 251 also issued strike notices.
Within 24 hours, the company had reinstated all fired admins and specialists with full back pay.
From Dozens to Thousands
Now, UPS has reached an agreement with the IBT that enables 6,500 specialists and administrative employees to join the Teamsters if a majority sign union cards.
UPS says it will remain neutral and allow workers to organize free of company union busting.
Most UPS hubs and centers have a fairly small number of admins and specialists, depending on the size of the operation.
Over time, the neutrality agreement will enable the union to grow membership among specialists and admins nationwide.
“The fact that over 6,000 other admins and specialists will be able to join the union is awesome,” said Hinton. “We fought so other specialists and admins won’t have it so hard” to join the union, said Ater.