UPS, Teamsters union reach tentative labor contract that would avert strike

The Teamsters union and UPS reached a tentative contract agreement Tuesday in a move that will avoid a potentially disastrous nationwide strike after the union scorned any involvement in the negotiations by the Biden administration.

Representing around 340,000 UPS employees, the Teamsters labor union met with the package delivery giant Tuesday to negotiate demands to avoid going on strike at the beginning of next month.

The union called the agreement "historic" and said it reached an "overwhelmingly lucrative contract" that raises wages for all employees and creates more workplace protections.

A union representative for Teamsters’ Local 623 said Tuesday on Newsmax before the deal was reached that he hoped President Biden stays out of the potential conflict.

"The international [organization] has reached out to the Biden administration and urged them not to get involved in this UPS struggle," Richard Hooker told the network, citing the 2022 railroad strike movement, which Biden shut down with legislation.

"We all remember what happened with the railroads and we don't want that to happen to UPS workers," he added. "I hope that he doesn't get involved."

Earlier this month, the president of the Teamsters, Sean O’Brien, expressed that he didn’t want the White House to step in. "We don’t need anybody getting involved in this fight," he said, as reported by the Associated Press.

The rejection by the labor union seems to be the second major blow recently to Biden’s self-perception as "the most pro-union president" in American history. In May, the United Auto Workers (UAW) union told Politico that it was withholding its endorsement of the President for 2024 due to "the electric vehicle transition with no strings attached and no commitment to workers."

Follow Addison on Twitter.