UPS, pilots union strike deal on two-year labor contract extension

UPS planes

UPS planes

Sandy Springs-based UPS and its pilots union have struck a tentative agreement on a two-year labor contract extension.

The deal includes wage increases and pension improvements, according to the company, which did not disclose how much it will hike pay.

The contract would continue to “reward our crewmembers for their contributions to the success of the company, while ensuring we are positioned to provide outstanding service to our air express customers,” said UPS Airlines President Jim Joseph in a written statement.

The Independent Pilots Association, which represents the 3,314 pilots at UPS, said it will present the proposed contract to all UPS pilots over the next month. The deal is subject to ratification by a majority of UPS pilots, with a three-week vote to be completed by Aug. 3.

The pilots union’s leadership is giving “an unqualified recommendation for ratification” of the tentative agreement by rank-and-file members, after the executive board unanimously approving and endorsed the deal.

If approved, the contract that originally ran through Sept. 1, 2023 would be extended for another two years to Sept. 1, 2025.

It follows a previous two-year extension of the UPS pilots contract with wage increases and pension improvements approved in 2020, which shifted the contract’s end date from Sept. 1, 2021 to Sept. 1, 2023.