UPS package drivers in Northern California who work a Tuesday-Saturday schedule are entitled to premium pay of 35 cents an hour. Drivers in other locals may be out of luck.
To keep up with competitors like Amazon, FedEx, and the post office, UPS is implementing Saturday ground deliveries and starting Tuesday to Saturday schedules for package drivers.
The contract language allowing “alternative schedules” was negotiated into regional supplements, not the national agreement. Every supplement is a little different—and, at least one, provides for premium pay.
Article 13 of the Northern California Supplement states:
A thirty-five cent (35¢) per hour premium will be paid to all employees who are scheduled on a workweek other than Monday through Friday.
The language should apply to all hours worked, not just the Saturday hours. Management may fight that interpretation—like they fight everything—but the language is clear.
That means drivers who work 50 hours a week on a Tuesday to Saturday schedule will get $1,000 in premium pay for the year.
By peak, UPS plans to reach half of the U.S. population with Saturday ground residential and commercial delivery.
This is sure to be a topic in upcoming contract negotiations—and premium pay is not the only issue that should be on the table.