UPS Raked in $14 Billion Last Year. Frontline Workers Are About to Strike.
One basic demand: AC in the trucks
Remember during the pandemic when all the work-from-home white-collar folks stayed holed up in their homes and ordered everything online so they wouldn't have to leave and risk their health?
Remember that one day when everyone was like, "Ohmygod, all you frontline people are the best! What would we do without people that are delivery drivers and grocery store workers? You all should earn a salary like lawyers do because we cannot live without you! You're the real heroes." Then, they all shed fake tears.
And then two months later, everyone feigned ignorance and was like, "What? I said what? Well, if you're upset with your working conditions, you should just find another job."
Then they returned to their air-conditioned office, sipping their ten-dollar nitro cold brew from the hipster coffee roaster on the corner.
Remember that?
Well, UPS drivers are fed up, and for good reason.
This story has a lot to unpack, but here's the straight skinny.
UPS made $14 billion in profits last year.
A strike is slated to occur on July 31, 2023, if negotiations are not reached. UPS stands to lose $170 million a day if this happens.
Drivers are part of a Teamsters union. The union is helping them negotiate.
The company has agreed to include air conditioning in all-new small package delivery vehicles purchased after January 2024 - mighty generous of them considering one of their drivers died on the job from heat stroke in Los Angeles on June 25. Yes, just two weeks ago.
Esteban Chavez Jr., a twenty-four-year-old delivery driver, passed out in his truck in the early afternoon. At least twenty minutes went by before someone noticed and called for help. He later died—one day after his birthday.
The Teamsters Union's demands include the following:
No more excessive overtime
No more two-tier pay
Higher part-time pay
More full-time jobs
Job security for feeders and package drivers
Protection from harassment
Lastly, for context, the CEO of UPS, Carol Tomé, took home $18,977,605 in 2022 (Down from $27,620,893 in 2021). The median employee pay is $52,144. That ratio is 364:1.
But this, I'm sure, comes as no surprise. The middle class in America is being eliminated.
UPS has an enormous opportunity here.
If they went above and beyond the Teamsters' requests, they could not lose. They could position themselves to look like they actually care about their frontline workforce. They could give more than they are asked, and, in the end, the $14 billion behemoth could look like the hero.
If they did, I'd more easily forget that 364:1 wage discrepancy - everyone would.
Will they do that? We'll see.
UPS employees are already practicing their picket lines. I hope they get everything they want and more.
MAILBOX
This week, I will share a DM situation - that I sent.
I met a fellow solo entrepreneur last month on LinkedIn. He is very smart and does consulting work, but he struggled to get engagement on LinkedIn.
After a few weeks of breezing by his posts, I finally stopped. I copied one of his posts, edited it, and returned it to him with suggestions. I was hoping he wouldn't take offense, and he didn't.
He wrote back that he was really happy and that he "owed me one."
It took me less than ten minutes to edit it for him, and he was super stoked.
If you can help someone, do it. It may seem minor to you, but it could be a massive help to someone else. You never know.
LEVEL UP
One thing you can do today is to be a better leader.
Trust your team to make decisions.
Yep, even if they mess up.
Mistakes don't matter. That's how we learn. We work in retail; what's the worst that could happen?
Let go a little. It makes the job more fun.
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You're the absolute best.
This issue is SO important!!! Thanks for laying it out directly, clearly and compassionately.