Sep 13, 2016
On July 31st of 2013 UPS posted bids for 125 full time jobs. These jobs were contractually obligated by the 2008-2013 Louisville Air Rider, which was to expire on August 1st, the very day after these jobs were posted. Due to the timing of when UPS posted these jobs, the first of these part-time to full-time bids was not completed until September of 2013, after the expiration date of the former contract.
Teamsters Local 89 immediately took the position that these jobs were to have the three-year progression of the 2008-2013 contract, as that was the agreement the jobs had been created for. UPS, however, took the stance that these jobs would be under the four-year progression of the new 2013-2018 contract.
Under the company’s incorrect assertion, these 125 members would have had an additional year of progression unjustly added onto them. This would have resulted in a significantly lower income for these members during the fourth year, possibly as much as $13,000 dollars, as they would not have received their wage bump when they should have.
Through the grievance procedure, Trustee and Business Agent Brian Hamm was successful in forcing the company to do the right thing and agree to the correct three-year progression for these members. This victory will ensure that all of these 125 members bump up to at least $29.24 when they hit their three-year progression mark.
Thanks to Local 89’s diligence, and despite UPS’s best efforts to delay their raises for an extra year, many of these members will now be getting a raise of over $6 an hour on their proper progression date.
