A UPS strike was OK'd by its aircraft mechanics on Monday, but customers sending and expecting packages over the holidays have nothing to worry about since it could be months before a strike is underway.
That's good news, considering there will be some 700 million packages going out over the course of the holiday season, reported Press Enterprise.
UPS is trying to raise retiree’s health coverage to more than $19,000 annually, from $3,600, and that’s just for the first year. There will also be an increase in the years to follow, according to Local 2727 President Tim Boyle.
If the Teamsters, a union representing UPS’ mechanics, is granted permission to strike, it would be at least 60 days before an actual strike could begin, Reuters noted.
“It’s important to understand that the vote does not give Local 2727 the right to strike under U.S. labor law,” UPS said, per RT.com. “A strike is not possible unless authorized by the National Mediation Board. The vote is simply a routine show of solidarity common in many negotiations.”
Under the Railway Labor Act, which covers UPS air operations, unions are required to gain the approval of a federal mediator before they can go on strike, and if they’re granted that approval, there’s a 30-day cooling off period in which they must honor before going forward with the strike, CNN Money noted.
Mechanics have been an essential piece to the puzzle for UPS, as they operate hundreds of aircrafts daily, sometimes working “39 hours straight,” RT.com noted.
“UPS aircraft mechanics and other maintenance workers do physically demanding and often dangerous work around jet engine aircrafts and equipment and toxic chemicals and exhaust,” the Teamsters said.
The Teamsters and UPS have been in negotiationsover a new contract for three years now, and while a strike would not stop all deliveries, it would heavily impact shipments traveling by air, Reuters noted.
Despite this, the company remained optimistic it would be able to come to an agreement with the mechanics, perhaps boosted by the fact that they were able to agree to a new deal with UPS pilots this past summer.
History implies that the two parties will be able to successfully reach an agreement, given the successful negotiations of five past contracts between the UPS and their mechanics.
UPS is known as the biggest delivery company globally, and their $4.84 billion in profit last year underlines that fact.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.