Minnesota UPS Employees Engage in Practice Picket Ahead of Potential Strike
Minneapolis : In Minneapolis, local UPS workers demonstrated their resolve by participating in a practice picket on Saturday, underscoring their readiness to walk off the job as a potential strike looms just three weeks away. Members of Teamsters Local 638 organized the event in Minneapolis, joining the ranks of the 340,000 UPS employees across the nation who have issued a threat to commence a strike on August 1. Negotiations between the parties broke down earlier this week, with both sides attributing blame to each other for the impasse. The union asserts that part-time wages remain a major point of contention.
Scott Wilkie, the communications director of Teamsters Local 638, emphasized the need for a pay increase for part-time workers who currently struggle to make ends meet, stating that UPS has generated substantial profits during the pandemic, with monthly earnings in the billions. The union believes that these profits should be shared with part-time employees who currently earn wages at poverty levels. In addition to improved wages, the union is also advocating for safer working conditions.
In a positive development, last month the union and the company reached an agreement to install air conditioning in more UPS trucks, addressing concerns about working conditions for drivers.