Orange, California - Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien, Southern California Teamster locals, and members who work at United Parcel Service (UPS) facilities throughout the region, held a solidarity rally on Saturday, April 15.
On April 12, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters issued a statement demanding UPS stop delaying and resolve supplemental negotiations prior to the start of national negotiations.
UPS Teamsters worked tirelessly throughout the COVID-19 pandemic earning the company 13 billion dollars in profits in 2022. While the company may call its workers essential, many UPS employees are harassed, overworked, and struggle to survive and provide for their families.
President O’Brien is leading over 350,000 UPS Teamsters across the United States to win a strong contract. Upcoming negotiations seek to end excessive overtime, eliminate the two-tier wage 22.4 job classification, increase part-time pay and the number of full-time jobs, improve job security for feeder and package drivers, address safety and health concerns around heat illness, and provide stronger protection against company harassment.
"We have 12 weeks to negotiate the largest collective bargaining agreement in the private sector throughout the entire United States," said Sean M. O'Brien, Teamsters General President. "We will set the tone for organized labor and the entire country with this contract. There is no better organization to set that bar high than the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. We are not going to accept and take what UPS gives us. UPS Teamsters have fire in their eyes and the intestinal fortitude to take on this company.”
"Our members are the backbone of UPS, and they deserve a fair contract that recognizes their hard work and dedication," said Victor Mineros, Secretary-Treasurer of Teamsters Local 396. "We are calling on UPS to come to the negotiating table with a proposal that reflects the value of our members and provides them with the compensation and benefits they deserve," said Eric Jimenez, Secretary-Treasurer of Teamsters Local 952.
“The California Labor Movement is proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with our Brothers and Sisters in the Teamsters Union,” said Lorena Gonzalez, President of the California Labor Federation. “Your fight is our fight. Solidarity is a verb, and that means we must be ready to take action if this company gives us any trouble. We’re ready to stand in solidarity and fight for the contract that UPS Teamsters deserve.”
“We work for a company that made 13 billion dollars in profits, yet many of my coworkers struggle to keep a roof over their heads and food on their tables,” said Thomas Katakowski, a UPS warehouse worker at the UPS Anaheim Hub. “I’m here to send UPS a clear message; their corporate greed must stop now! I'm ready to join my Teamster Brothers and Sisters nationwide to fight for the contract we deserve.”
“As a package driver, I know what it takes to get the job done, said Viviana Gonzalez, a Package Car Driver at the UPS Palmdale Hub. “It takes long hours, physical labor, and a commitment to excellence. If we don’t get what we want by July 31st. We must be ready to fight!”
“The union is the UPS driver who delivers life-saving packages like food and medical supplies to our grocery stores and hospitals and then returns home to cook food for their family and help their kid with homework,” said Yvonne Wheeler, President of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO. “As the President of the LA Fed, let me be clear: as long as these essential UPS workers are in this fight, they will have the entire 800,000 union membership from the LA Fed standing alongside them.”