Teamsters General President Sean O’Brien tore into UPS on Sunday as he pumped up supply drivers and different employees in Boston forward of nationwide contract negotiations, warning the delivery large that the workers are “not afraid” to strike.
O’Brien and different Teamsters officers rallied union employees in Charlestown whereas they gear up for the beginning of nationwide negotiations impacting greater than 340,000 package deal supply drivers and warehouse logistics employees throughout the nation.
“We have 15 days before we go sit across the table from this white collar crime syndicate known as United Parcel Service,” O’Brien stated through the rally at Teamsters Local 25.
“We are not going to take and accept what UPS gives us,” he added. “We’re going to demand, take and punish if they don’t give us what we want moving forward.”
The Teamsters’ nationwide grasp settlement with UPS is the most important private-sector collective bargaining settlement within the nation. Negotiations for a brand new deal start on April 17 in Washington, D.C., and the present contract expires on July 31.
“We are going to set the tone for organized labor,” O’Brien stated. “If you’re a pipefitter, if you’re a plumber, if you’re a bus driver, what we do in these negotiations is going to set the tone for the entire country, the entire labor movement moving forward.”
UPS Teamsters are searching for a contract that ensures higher pay for employees, extra full-time job alternatives, safety from warmth and different office hazards, and extra.
“All they (UPS) care about is the bottom line of their balance sheet,” O’Brien stated. “Our wages stayed the same, in some cases they went down, but their balance sheet kept expanding. They made $100 billion off the pandemic, $100 billion with a B. And what did we get? We got nothing. Well, that’s going to change April 17.”
The basic president stated he’s been going as much as Capitol Hill every single day, speaking to politicians concerning the supply-chain points.
“July 31st, when Big Brown is shut down, you’re going to see supply-chain solution come to a halt,” O’Brien stated, resulting in an enormous cheer and applause from the union employees. “And you know what? We’re not afraid to do it. We’re not afraid to do it.”
The Teamsters have greater than $300 million in its strike fund.
“If we don’t have the contract that you guys want by August the 1st, we’re not working no more,” stated Teamsters General Secretary-Treasurer Fred Zuckerman. “We will proceed to barter with the corporate, however there gained’t be a UPS particular person engaged on August the first if we don’t have what we wish.
“I can assure you that we will take care of you guys,” he added. “We have over $300 million in our strike fund, and we will spend every penny of it to make sure that UPS employees get what they want in this contract.”
O’Brien in his closing assertion stated he has a message for UPS and for any employer.
“Number one: Watch what’s going to happen because if you don’t want this to happen to you, start behaving accordingly,” he stated. “Two: When you take on 1.3 million Teamsters, 360,000 UPS workers, it’s a full-contact sport. Put your helmets on and buckle your chin straps. It’s on.”
UPS didn’t instantly reply to touch upon Sunday.
Source: www.bostonherald.com”