UPS Contract Leaves Part-Time Workers Disappointed
UPS and the Teamsters have reached a tentative agreement that has been hailed as "historic," but some part-time workers are calling for a "no" vote, arguing that the deal falls short of addressing decades of falling pay and physically exhausting conditions. The agreement includes higher starting pay for part-timers, the elimination of a two-tier wage system, and heat protections and air conditioning for new trucks. However, critics argue that the starting pay of $21 an hour is still insufficient and fails to close the gap of concessions made in the 1980s. The contract must still be ratified by UPS' 340,000 unionized workers, with voting scheduled between August 3 and August 22.