John,
We have a major update on the 340,000 UPS workers in the Teamsters union fighting for a fair contract:
After seeing the tremendous power that workers have when they stand strong together, UPS executives agreed to the union’s demands this week, allowing them to reach a tentative agreement!
While the agreement still needs to be voted on by union members, if it goes through this will mean that employees have won:
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An end to the two-tier wage system that pays some employees drastically lower wages for the same work,
- Wage increases that bring the minimum wage for part-time workers up to $21 per hour and the average top rate for full-time workers up to $49 per hour,
- The creation of 7,500 new full-time jobs and hiring for 22,500 open full-time positions,
- An end to forced overtime on scheduled days off,
- Martin Luther King Day off for employees to spend with their loved ones, and
- Dozens of workplace protections and improvements — including air conditioning and fans in all trucks, following temperatures reaching as high as 152 degrees inside vehicles and killing workers.1
A win for the Teamsters union is a win for us all. By standing in organized solidarity, union members displayed a power that overpaid executives everywhere can see, from Amazon to Starbucks to the studios and streamers that manage writers’ and actors’ contracts.
If we continue to stick together and exercise our strength, we can win real change for workers in every industry and ensure that everyone can make enough to live in a job that treats them with dignity.
Wins like this are only possible with support from people like you and the thousands of WFP members who joined in solidarity with UPS workers — as well as the elected leaders we work to support every day.
Help us keep up this incredible momentum and keep organizing everywhere for workers and to elect candidates who will fight for their rights by making a contribution of $10 — or any amount — now.
In solidarity,
Working Families Party
Source:
1. In the hot seat: UPS delivery drivers at risk of heat-related illnesses, NBC News, July 18, 2019
