Sandy Springs-based UPS said Friday that it has started “business continuity“ training for managers, as a massive Teamsters strike looms if the two sides do not reach agreement by Aug. 1.
The announcement by UPS is an indication it plans to have management employees help deliver packages if there is a walkout. But that‘s still seen as unlikely to be enough to handle the work normally done by 340,000 Teamsters at UPS. Teamsters make up the majority of more than 500,000 UPS employees.
A strike would cripple shipping across the country, affect millions of deliveries a day and damage UPS’s reputation with customers.
”We remain focused on reaching an agreement with the Teamsters that is a win for UPS employees, our customers, our union, and our company before Aug. 1,” UPS said in a written statement.
“While we have made great progress and are close to reaching an agreement, we have a responsibility as an essential service provider to take steps to help ensure we can deliver our customers’ packages if the Teamsters choose to strike.”
UPS has said for months that it has “contingency plans.” But on Friday, the shipping giant said in coming weeks, “many of our U.S. employees will participate in training that would help them safely serve our customers if there is a labor disruption.”
The company said this would have no effect on current operations or ongoing efforts to finalize a new contract.
Some UPS customers have been looking to alternatives to ship their products to customers, including UPS rival FedEx, the U.S. Postal Service and smaller regional carriers. UPS carries about 6% of the U.S. gross domestic product and 2% of world GDP daily. Last year, UPS delivered an average of 24.3 million packages a day worldwide.
The Teamsters union had cited significant progress in labor talks with UPS that started in April.
But then negotiations broke down July 5. International Brotherhood of Teamsters General President Sean O’Brien said one of the key sticking points was pay for part-time workers.
O’Brien posted on social media on Friday that his members “are all in & committed to this fight. They want their respect. They demand a contract that reflects their value.”
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