UPS union strike called off: how much do UPS drivers make per hour?

The United Parcel Service union has called off their threat of a strike after UPS management agreed to increase the salaries of their workers.

The current five-year collective bargaining agreement is scheduled to end on July 31. Union members had been preparing for potential strikes by conducting practice pickets, in case they failed to reach an agreement with the company by the time the deal expires.

Part-time UPS drivers ‘vulnerable to exploitation’

The contract talks began in April, and the Teamsters had already received some concessions involving workplace safety and salaries. However, pay and benefits for part-time workers were not resolved until now.

The union says that those who work part-time are the most vulnerable to exploitation. UPS claims that part-timers earn an average of $20 per hour after 30 days, but the union said they were earning as little as $15.50 an hour.

Pay increase for all Teamsters

Under the tentative contract, union workers both full- and part-time will receive $2.75 more per hour this year, and $7.50 more by the end of the five-year contract. The new deal also provides for a higher starting salary for part-time workers from $16.20 per hour to $21 per hour.

The agreement also eliminates a lower-paid category of drivers and gives them regular full-time-driver status. The deal creates 7,500 full-time jobs, and provides for filling 22,500 open posts, making it easier for part-time workers to become full-time employees.

How much do UPS drivers make per hour?

Currently, the starting salary for full-time drivers of brown trucks or “package cars” is $18.75 an hour, which goes up to 19.50 after a year. It goes up to $21 an hour at 24 months, the $25 an hour after three years, per Truck Drivers Salary. These local drivers earn approximately $23.82 an hour, with the average highest rate sitting at $37.06 per hour.

According to Teamsters General President Sean O’Brien, UPS has placed $30 billion more on the table as the result of negotiations.

“This contract sets a new standard in the labor movement and raises the bar for all workers,” O’Brien said in a statement.

Union members across the country, numbering 340,000, will have to vote to ratify the new agreement from Aug. 3 to Aug. 22.