LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The International Brotherhood of Teamsters is holding out for a base wage of more than $20 per hour for the 330,000 rank-and-file UPS workers the union represents across the country, the No. 2 official in the Teamsters told WDRB News on Tuesday.
Fred Zuckerman, the secretary-treasurer of the international union, said the package handlers and other part-time workers represented by the union "deserve" a wage "north of $20" per hour, which is not out of line with similar sorts of work.
"McDonald’s is going north of $20. DHL is at $24 at Cincinnati airport. Everywhere you go, corporate America knows that if they want to have quality employees, they've got to raise that rate up," Zuckerman said. "And UPS has got a responsibility to do the same thing for their employees."
Zuckerman declined to comment when asked about some Teamsters’ desire for a base rate of $25, saying "that’s still being negotiated."
Wages for UPS’ lowest-ranking are a key sticking point in talks between the union and the Atlanta-based shipping giant as the Teamsters’ current five-year contract nears expiration at the end of the month.
"We’re proud of the proposals we’ve put forward, which include wage increases for our full- and part-time union employees that would increase the industry-leading pay and benefits we already provide," UPS spokesman Jim Mayer said. "The Teamsters should return to the table to finalize this deal."
The union has pledged to strike starting Aug. 1 unless UPS agrees to a contract that the union’s leadership endorses.
Zuckerman, the former longtime president of Teamsters Local 89 in Louisville, spoke outside UPS’ Worldport air hub, where the union held a rally with workers Tuesday morning.
Speaking through a bullhorn, Zuckerman told dozens of union workers that 90% of the contract is negotiated, and a strike is not inevitable.
Talks broke down July 5 because the Teamsters were seeking higher part-time wages than UPS was willing to pay, he told the crowd.
"There’s some other issues that are on the table that are important to us, but there’s not many. We can resolve this pretty quickly," Zuckerman said. "But they’ve got to show us the money. They’ve got to bring it to the table, and we can get a deal."
UPS is already paying an entry-level wage of $20 or more at Louisville’s Worldport global air hub and in other locations where the labor market is tight.
The entry-level wage it negotiated with the Teamsters in 2018 calls for $15.50 an hour, but the company is paying at least $16.20 because of an executive order from President Biden setting a minimum wage for federal contractors.
As Zuckerman told workers at Tuesday’s rally, UPS is under no obligation to pay more than $16. It can revoke the “market rate adjustments” for Louisville and other cities at any time.
“They can take it away anytime they want to and that’s the kinds of things that has to stop,” Zuckerman told WDRB. “If you’re going to support part-time workers, just do it. Make it permanent. Take care of these people.”
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This story will be updated.
