Members of Local 705 of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters in the Chicago area have overwhelmingly voted to authorize a strike against parcel delivery giant UPS.

Officials with Local 705 told BNA July 24 that negotiations toward a new five-year agreement are continuing with UPS, but rank and file Teamsters voted to strike beginning Aug. 1 if no resolution is reached.

Local 705 Secretary-Treasurer Steve Pocztowski was in negotiations and could not be reached for comment. However, a message on the local's Web site stated that a strike authorization vote held July 20 won support from 93 percent of the members voting. The full tally was 2,993 in favor of a strike and 232 opposed. In total, Local 705 represents 11,000 UPS drivers in the Chicago area.

UPS representatives were not available for comment.

The vast majority of UPS employees represented by the Teamsters are covered under a five-year national agreement which members ratified last November (224 DLR A-10, 11/21/07) a0b5k3n8d5 . Local 705, however, has historically operated under a separate carve-out agreement.

The Teamsters' national agreement with UPS, covering 240,000 workers, becomes effective Aug. 1 and expires July 31, 2013. The ratified contract provides wage increases and other features fortifying the union's health and benefit plans. The agreement provides full- and part-time employees with wage increases totaling $4 an hour over term. Full-time UPS workers currently earn an average of $28 an hour.

Local 705 provided a contract proposal to UPS June 9.

Text of the UPS proposal was posted on the Local 705 Web site and can be accessed at: https://d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.net/teamstersforademocraticunion/pages/6514/attachments/original/1434139087/UPS705CBAPpl_1_080609.pdf?1434139087