Will part-timers get left behind when starting pay goes up under the new contract?
The International Union has proposed:
- $15 starting pay / $16 for skilled positions
- $1 an hour raise every August 1
- An extra annual 25¢ raise for part-timers
- An increase in the part-time starting rate every year
This is an excellent proposal if the IBT doesn’t water it down. But there’s a loophole. All part-timers would only receive the $1.25 increase or the start rate, whichever is higher.
That means part-timers with five years of seniority would be making the same as a new hire! That’s not right and it has happened before.
When UPS has been forced to increase starting pay because of minimum wage laws or to compete with Amazon, some UPS part-timers with years of service have found themselves making the same pay as new hires.
The minimum wage in some cities and counties is already $15 per hour, and by next year there will be more.
The Package Division needs to close this loophole and stick to its guns.
UPS part-timers want $15 starting pay, catchup raises, and pay increases for current part-timers to keep them above the new starting rate.