A UPS delivery driver wheeling a load of boxes is reflected on the truck on Friday, May 12, 2023, in New York. UPS workers say they are prepared to strike if the company does not meet their demands before the end of the current contract on July 31. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)
NEW YORK (AP) – Unionized UPS workers voted overwhelmingly on Friday to authorize a strike, setting the stage for a potential work stoppage if the package delivery company and Teamsters can’t come to an agreement before their contract expires next month.
The Teamsters have urged workers to authorize a strike to give them more leverage in negotiations with the company, but a yes vote does not mean a strike is imminent.
The Teamsters represent about 340,000 UPS employees, more than half of the company’s workforce. A quarter of a century ago, 185,000 UPS employees walked off the job for 15 days after a contract dispute and it crippled the company.
UPS has grown vastly since then and become even more engrained in the U.S. economy. UPS says they deliver the equivalent of about 6% of nation’s gross domestic product.
If a strike occurs, its expected to be one of the biggest – if not the biggest – company walkout in U.S. history, carrying with it far-reaching implications for the economy.
