Teamsters' UPS contract proposal seeks 10,000 new full-time jobs, new driver classification

The Teamsters union wants UPS Inc., its largest employer, to create 10,000 full-time small-package jobs out of 20,000 existing part-time positions as part of a broader commitment to fill at least 20,000 full-time jobs with part-time employees, according to a Teamster proposal that is the first salvo in what will be a months-long battle to reach a new contract to replace the current five-year compact that expires Aug. 31.

The Teamsters have also requested that UPS establish a "premium service driver" classification which will be utilized when the Atlanta-based company's existing over-the-road feeder network can't adequately meet its service requirements. Drivers would be typically used to move loads between ground and air hubs more than 250 miles apart, according to the union proposal. When practical, the driver would start at about the same time each day and make two weekly roundtrips to a scheduled sort location, according to the proposal.

In what will clearly be an interesting discussion point as talks progress, the Teamsters want to bar UPS from operating drones and autonomous vehicles.

The Teamster proposal is the first in what will be several proffers and counter-proffers with the company through the spring and summer. The Teamsters represent 268,000 UPS package and less-than-truckload (LTL) employees at the company's UPS Freight LTL unit. Combined, it is the largest collective-bargaining agreement in the nation.

The Teamster proposal did not stipulate a duration of the upcoming compact.