Catherwood LibraryILR School

After over three years of unsuccessful contract negotiations, UPS’s air maintenance employees have authorized a strike. The Teamsters Local 2727 has been representing the 1,200 UPS employees, 98% of whom voted to authorize the strike on Monday. If the unsuccessful negotiations continue, the 1,200 employees could strike within 60 days. The central disagreement is over health benefits, with UPS demanding concessions while the union refuses. The main issue at stake for the air maintenance workers is health-care, which UPS is hoping the maintenance workers will take multiple concessions on. According to the U.S. Railway Labor Act, the maintenance workers are limited to strike only if negotiations and mediation fail. The union will request a federal mediator to free them from their bargaining duties if a contract is not agreed on today, beginning a 30 day cooling-off period. If no agreement is reached after this period, President Obama would have to appoint a special board who would then decide whether the workers could strike.