Teamsters President Sean O'Brien blasts UPS ahead of contract negotiations: 'We are not afraid' to strike

Teamsters General President Sean O’Brien tore into UPS on Sunday as he pumped up delivery drivers and other workers in Boston ahead of national contract negotiations, warning the shipping giant that the employees are “not afraid” to strike.

O’Brien and other Teamsters officials rallied union workers in Charlestown while they gear up for the start of national negotiations impacting more than 340,000 package delivery drivers and warehouse logistics workers across the country.

“We have 15 days before we go sit across the table from this white collar crime syndicate known as United Parcel Service,” O’Brien said during 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’ national master agreement with UPS is the largest private-sector collective bargaining agreement in the country. Negotiations for a new deal begin on April 17 in Washington, D.C., and the current contract expires on July 31.

“We are going to set the tone for organized labor,” O’Brien said. “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 seeking a contract that guarantees better pay for workers, more full-time job opportunities, protection from heat and other workplace hazards, and more.

“All they (UPS) care about is the bottom line of their balance sheet,” O’Brien said. “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 general president said he’s been going up to Capitol Hill every day, talking to politicians about the supply-chain issues.

“July 31st, when Big Brown is shut down, you’re going to see supply-chain solution come to a halt,” O’Brien said, leading to a big cheer and applause from the union workers. “And you know what? We’re not afraid to do it. We’re not afraid to do it.”

The Teamsters have more 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,” said Teamsters General Secretary-Treasurer Fred Zuckerman. “We will continue to negotiate with the company, but there won’t be a UPS person working on August the 1st if we don’t have what we want.

“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 statement said 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 said. “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 in a statement said, “UPS and the Teamsters are a model of a productive partnership between a company and a union — and have been for about 100 years. Both the Teamsters and UPS agree that a healthy and growing UPS is good; good for Teamsters, good for our people and good for our customers. We have built UPS into the world’s leading package delivery company, and we are committed to reaching a deal that is a win for our employees, the Teamsters, and UPS and our customers before the end of July.”

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