LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- United Parcel Service on Friday agreed to reinstate about three dozen Louisville workers who had recently joined the Teamsters union and had been laid off a day earlier.
The Teamsters had threatened to strike in Louisville, the home of UPS' global air hub, in retaliation for the move to dismiss about 35 "specialists" and "admins" who work at the shipper's Centennial ground hub in Louisville.
"The union achieved a great result for our UPS members in Louisville, and we couldn’t be happier to see them clock back in as Teamsters,” Teamsters President Sean O’Brien said in a statement. “Both sides immediately came together and were able to resolve the situation on the ground. This is the outcome we were looking for. Now it’s time to do what the Teamsters do best, and that’s get back to work.”
UPS said it was pleased to reach a resolution with the Teamsters.
The company had challenged the specialists and administrative workers' ability to organize with the Teamsters, saying theirs was management work, but an arbitrator ruled in the workers' favor, the union said in a Facebook post Thursday.
UPS on Thursday said the move to dismiss the workers was not about union status, but instead about the business needs of the shipping giant.
Asked how UPS' business needs changed between Thursday and Friday, spokesman Jim Mayer said, "We don't comment on specific personnel issues due to privacy concerns."
He also declined to comment on whether the workers would be represented by the union in collective bargaining.
The agreement also applies to similar workers at UPS' operation in Chicago, according to the Teamsters and the company.
