UPS Strike 2023

2023 UPS/Teamsters Contract Negotiation:
https://about.ups.com/us/en/newsroom/negotiations/weekly-updates-from-the-bargaining-table.html

July 25th – UPS, Teamsters reach tentative labor deal to avoid strike!

Read more on UPS.com / Read more on Teamster.org

 

July 24th – UPS, Teamsters agree to restart negotiations on Tuesday, July 25th.

 

July 18th –

PM Partners – A labor strike at UPS beginning on August 1st is likely, and could prevent PM (and all UPS shippers) from reliably shipping for an uncertain amount of time.

Best Case Scenario: An agreement is reached by midnight on Monday July 31st, and there is no interruption of UPS’s service.

Worst Case Scenario: No agreement is reached, leading to 330,000 UPS Drivers & Loaders going on strike for an unknown amount of time.

In preparation for a ‘Worst Case Scenario’, we are notifying our accounts that orders for the following weeks may be affected:

  • July 29th – Returns to PM may be affected if you’ve already given the box to UPS.  (Make sure you keep receipts and tracking numbers)
  • August 5th – Outgoing shipments (and returns) are likely affected
  • August 12th – Outgoing shipments (and returns) are possibly affected
  • August 19th – Outgoing shipments (and returns) are possibly affected
  • The length of a potential strike is unknown and could affect future weeks.

How we’re preparing:

In an effort to minimize any interruption and out of an abundance of caution, we are planning to ship all orders received by Friday July 21st that are for the weeks of August 5th, 12th and 19th to be in your store during the week of July 29th, before a potential strike happens.

How you can avoid problems:

Please place any orders for the potentially affected weeks now, so we can ship them to be in your store before the strike occurs. We will continue taking orders normally, but there is a possibility we won’t be able to ship last minute orders or corrections in a reliable, timely manner during a strike. In some cases, you may want to make your customers aware of this possibility.

Be prepared for the charges on your Credit Card:

If you pay by Credit Card, your card on file will be charged for all orders at the time of shipment. This could include multiple weeks orders.

Take Action / Contact PM: email us at: info@paulmorrell.com

If you do not want PM to ship your orders for the affected weeks in advance, please contact us as soon as possible. Not shipping early while reliable shipping is available would mean there is a possibility you may not receive your orders on time should a UPS strike occur. UPS will likely not credit any delayed boxes during the strike.

Return all used merchandise to PM as soon as possible.

Place any orders for use in the first half of August as soon as possible

We’ll work with you on delayed returns:

A UPS Strike could affect not only our outgoing shipments, but also merchandise you’re returning to PM. If your returns are delayed due to a strike, we will work with you on late returns and delinquent charges. Make sure you keep tracking numbers!

What about FedEx or USPS?

PM currently ships nearly everything via UPS. FedEx and USPS will try and pick up shipments during the strike, but will likely be overloaded and not reliable for timely deliveries. We may attempt to use them, but we don’t expect last minute FedEx or USPS shipments for orders or corrections to be delivered on time.

What is this Strike with UPS and the Teamsters about?

340,000 UPS Drivers & loaders are members of the Teamsters Union. Their current 5-year contract expires after July 31st, and they are negotiating for better pay, the elimination of a two-tier wage system for part-time and full-time workers, and other benefits. The last time the Teamsters went on strike was for 15 days in 1997. A UPS strike in 2023 could have serious negative effects on consumers and small businesses across the US and beyond.

 

PM Partners – Hopefully this ends up being an exercise in preparation because a labor strike is avoided.

As a small business trying to navigate this unusual and inconvenient situation, thank you for your understanding. Feel free to call or email with any questions you may have.

Your Warehouse,

Paul Morrell