The Teamsters National UPS Negotiating Committee concluded the sixth round of negotiations this week and focused on subcontracting and other issues. The UPS Freight National Negotiating Committee made strides on compensation claims, equipment and safety, and other issues. 

“This week was very productive in terms of moving forward on the issue of subcontracting, which continues to be a major issue for our members in many areas of the country,” said Denis Taylor, Director of the Teamsters Package Division and Co-Chairman of the Teamsters National UPS Negotiating Committee. “We are in a good position now to move into economic proposals and will continue to keep the members updated on our progress.”  

The committee dealt with Article 26, Subcontracting, specifically focusing on making sure feeder operations are sufficiently staffed to address the shortage of qualified feeder drivers in various regions. The committee also continued to work on Article 6.6, Technology and Discipline.

The committee began working internally on economic proposals as well. It hopes to be able to present a comprehensive economic proposal at the next round of negotiations. Open, non-economic proposals will continue to be dealt with even as negotiations turn to economic proposals. 

The Safety and Health Committee also made progress in negotiations this week, securing tentative agreements in Article 18 by providing an avenue to address safety concerns with commercial motor vehicle tires and providing electronic access to Driver Vehicle Inspection Reports (eDVIR). Additionally, the committee made progress introducing new language in Article 16 regarding assistance to employees in processing off-the-job disability claims. 

Many of the proposals for Article 40, Air, and Article 43, Premium Services, are economic in nature, therefore those committees are hoping to make improvements on those issues as negotiations move into economics.