Updated June 26, 2013: The UPS national contract vote is complete. The national contract has narrowly passed but Ken Hall and UPS will be returning to the bargaining table because at least 18 supplements and riders have been rejected, the biggest number in Teamster history.
What's next for UPS Teamsters, our contract and the healthcare cuts?
The UPS national contract passed with a narrow 53% majority. But it has been rejected in 18 supplements and riders. The latest to be rejected was the Local 135 Indiana Rider. That final local count increased the margin of rejection of the largest supplement: the Central Region.
Over 63% of UPS Teamsters are covered by supplements that were rejected. They will all be voting again, after their supplements are renegotiated.
The International union should do the right thing and re-vote the entire contract. The myriad problems with the vote have weakened the creditability of the process: including sending the wrong return envelopes, members not getting ballots, errors forcing a re-vote in the largest UPS local, and thousands of ballots received just after the deadline.
Members can continue to Vote No and reject the supplements again until the problems in the national contract, supplements and riders are adequately addressed.
What Now?
The national contract cannot be implemented until all 18 rejected supplements and riders are approved.
Legally, the contract is one integrated agreement, not separate national and regional contracts. This legal principle has long been recognized by both UPS and the union.
The IBT needs to do more than re-vote the contracts with a new sales pitch. The International Union needs to get behind the members and address the reasons why members voted no.
Click here to read FAQs on contract negotiations work.
Click here for a local-by-local chart of all the contract votes.