With more than 86% of the vote, the 340,000 UPS drivers who are members of the Teamsters union approved a five-year contract Tuesday, avoiding a strike that would have had ripples across the American economy, NBC News reports.
“This contract will improve the lives of hundreds of thousands of workers,” Teamsters President Sean O’Brien said in a statement Tuesday. “Teamsters have set a new standard and raised the bar for pay, benefits, and working conditions in the package delivery industry. This is the template for how workers should be paid and protected nationwide, and nonunion companies like Amazon better pay attention.”
Part-time workers will get $21 per hour starting wages, with rates increasing to at least $23 per hour over the course of the agreement. Average top rate pay for drivers will increase to $49 per hour.