The year 2023 still seems a long way off – but in the complex world of contract negotiations, it`s really around the corner. Therefore, it seems appropriate to pause and reflect on where we are and where we are going in relation to the UPS Treaty. All these changes suggest that the pendulum is returning in the wrong direction after 40 years of movement. But to really accelerate this pushback, more is needed. What is missing is a single moment of excitement – a struggle that extends to the whole nation, highlights the abuse of workers in the endless pursuit of profit, and can serve as an example for all workers. This moment, brothers and sisters, should be the fight of the UPS treaty of 2023. The struggle of 2023 could involve the whole country, pitting greedy companies against abused workers, uniting members and providing the platform to revive the entire workers` movement. Signs of change have appeared in the Teamsters. A regime change is coming in 2021.

The ”two-thirds rule” that implemented the 2018 treaty no longer exists. Base members will be part of the 2023 UPS Treaty Negotiating Committee. The strike performance will now begin on the first day. An O`Brien victory in this year`s election could cause problems for UPS, by far the union`s largest employer, in 2023. Of UPS` 534,000 employees, 340,000 are Teamsters members. This represents 24% of the total membership of the national union of 1.4 million. Either way, Tomé could face a newly aggressive Teamsters union led by tough Sean O`Brien. A Teamsters strike like the 16-day strike in 1997 would be a boon for non-unionized fedEx. If the sale of UPS Freight doesn`t give FedEx the title of largest freight forwarder in 2022, a Teamster strike in 2023 could do. LL The year 2023, when the UPS contract expires, still seems a long way off – but in the complex world of contract negotiations, it`s just around the corner. For the Teamsters, the 1998 regime change brought us two decades of corporate appeasement. Contract after contract was negotiated with tiny improvements or even refunds, culminating in a 2018 contract with two-tier salaries and subcontracts that was implemented despite rejection by members.

The current contract set a two-tier salary range. New drivers are paid less than veterans, prompting management to drive out people with more seniority. Opponents of the concessions were outraged when the trade union constitution allowed the treaty to be implemented despite an apparent vote against it. They are always crazy. According to the teamster constitution of the time, at least 50% of eligible teamsters must vote for a contract to be approved or rejected by a simple majority. With less than half of the votes, at least two-thirds of those votes must be ”no” for the treaty to be rejected. In 2018, less than half of the voting members voted on the UPS Treaty. While 54% of them voted ”no”, under the two-thirds rule, it was not enough to reject the treaty. Despite strong protests, the treaty was declared ratified.

The contract for more than 250,000 UPS employees expires in 2023. Serious resistance on the part of the Teamsters could involve the whole country and provide the platform to revive the labor movement. Photo: Elvert Barnes, CC BY-SA 2.0. The benefits of social media and the blatant failure of the 2018 UPS Treaty have given birth to a new generation of Teamster activists and leaders. O`Brien, president of Boston Teamsters Local 25, was supposed to lead UPS`s negotiations for the 2018 contract when Hoffa replaced him. O`Brien vehemently rejected the concession contract negotiated without him and began his candidacy for national leadership. Now he meets Steve Vairma, who was supported by Hoffa on his way out of the door. Greg Kerwood is a UPS parcel driver and a member of Teamsters Local 25 in Boston. A version of this piece was originally published by The Teamster Rebel, teamsterrebel.com.

Within the Teamsters, signs of change have appeared. A regime change is coming in 2021. . .