UPS and Teamsters Reach Agreement, Averting Strike Threat

UPS has agreed to end its two-tier wage system in ongoing contract negotiations with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, a major victory for union workers that could help avert a strike on August 1. The Teamsters also secured additional wins, including establishing Martin Luther King Day as a full holiday and ending forced overtime on drivers' days off. However, negotiations continue ahead of the contract's expiration on July 31, with UPS aiming to reach an agreement by July 5. The union is pushing for higher wages and a historic new contract by August 1. In a separate labor dispute, approximately 7,400 dockworkers in Canadian West Coast ports went on strike after negotiations with employers failed to reach an agreement. The president of ILWU Canada warned the government to stay out of the dispute, expressing frustration with slow employer responses and accusing them of benefiting from record profits while workers faced unsafe conditions during the pandemic.