Biden celebrates UPS labor agreement: A ‘testament’ to collective bargaining
Christian Datoc
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President Joe Biden celebrated the announcement of a tentative labor agreement between the Teamsters and UPS, calling the process a “testament to the power of employers and employees coming together to work out their differences at the bargaining table.”
More than 300,000 unionized UPS workers were slated to walk out on July 31 had Tuesday’s agreement not been reached.
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“I applaud the Teamsters and UPS for coming together, negotiating in good faith, and reaching a tentative agreement today that will avoid a shutdown at UPS,” Biden said in a statement. “While this agreement still awaits final ratification by Teamsters members, today’s announcement moves us closer to a better deal for workers that will also add to our economic momentum.
“I’ve always said that collective bargaining works by providing workers a seat at the table and the opportunity to improve their lives while contributing fully to their employer’s success,” the president continued. “This agreement is a testament to the power of employers and employees coming together to work out their differences at the bargaining table in a manner that helps businesses succeed while helping workers secure pay and benefits they can raise a family on and retire with dignity and respect.”
“Together we reached a win-win-win agreement on the issues that are important to Teamsters leadership, our employees, and to UPS and our customers,” UPS CEO Carol Tome said in a separate statement. “This agreement continues to reward UPS’s full- and part-time employees with industry-leading pay and benefits while retaining the flexibility we need to stay competitive, serve our customers, and keep our business strong.”
Tuesday’s announcement also provided Biden, the self-billed “most pro-union president” in history, an easy out of a potentially fraught political situation. Both the White House and the president’s 2024 campaign have pointed to economic progress in recent months as a key argument for his reelection, and a prolonged strike at UPS could easily slow, if not reverse, those positive economic trends.
Roughly 6% of the U.S. GDP is transported by UPS, and experts previously told the Washington Examiner that even a short strike would likely cost billions.
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The estimated 340,000 UPS workers who would be furloughed in a strike would result in more than $1 billion in lost wages. UPS was also expected to pass $4 billion in losses on to consumers in the event of a 10-day strike.