Local Ups Workers Gearing Up For Strike

Fri., Aug. 1, 1997

From Staff And Wire Reports

Negotiators for UPS and the Teamsters union continued to meet late Thursday as both sides geared up for a strike against the giant delivery service.

Matt Witt, a Teamsters spokesman, said shortly after a midnight deadline on the East Coast that strike plans were put on hold temporarily, but added that could change at any moment.

“There’s no limit on how long we’ll talk or how long we’ll hold off a strike,” he said.

UPS took out a full-page ads today in The Washington Post, The New York Times and other major newspapers telling its customers to expect a disruption in service.

In what it called “an open letter to UPS customers,” the company said it has been unable to reach an agreement with the union.

The UPS ad appeared hours after John Calhoun Wells, director of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, retired to a hotel room with the lead negotiators from each side to try to kick start the stalled talks.

UPS, based in Atlanta, has 302,000 U.S. employees, about two-thirds of them Teamsters. Only the U.S. Postal Service employs more workers under a contract.

In Spokane, about 20 Teamsters who work for UPS gathered late Thursday at the union hall at Third and Brown. Resigned to the inevitability of a strike, they were stapling picket signs and photocopying strike rules.

“Tomorrow is payday and they gave us our checks today,” said Brett McCandless, a full-time driver.

There are 460 Teamsters on the UPS payroll in Spokane.

The employees are responsible for sorting and delivering the packages for the service.

Spokane-based Teamsters Local 690 represents the union members. Although many would like full-time jobs, about 60 percent of the UPS Teamsters are part-time employees, a union spokesman said.

A UPS message to customers Thursday said, “We are advising our customers that after the contract expires, delivery delays may be possible.” The company had sought a contract extension, but the Teamsters declined.

UPS’ 2,000 pilots, represented by the International Pilots Association, have pledged to join the Teamsters in a walkout.

Competitors such as Federal Express Corp. and the U.S. Postal Service were making contingency plans, but analysts say it would be difficult to make up UPS’ volume of 12 million deliveries a day.

Along with increases in pay and pensions, the Teamsters have pressed UPS to limit subcontracting, strengthen safety and health provisions and create more full-time jobs. About two-thirds of the Teamsters-represented employees are part-time workers.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Photo

Local journalism is essential.

Give directly to The Spokesman-Review's Northwest Passages community forums series -- which helps to offset the costs of several reporter and editor positions at the newspaper -- by using the easy options below. Gifts processed in this system are tax deductible.

Meet Our Journalists

Jesse Tinsley

Meet Jesse Tinsley. As a certified drone pilot, this veteran Spokesman-Review photographer often can be seen capturing beautiful aerial photographs of our region. Sometimes though, the job requires getting down with the dogs.
Jim Meehan

Jim Meehan is no stranger to Zag Nation. As the lead writer covering the Gonzaga men’s basketball team, he tells the stories behind the game and gets fans a bit closer to their favorite players.
Molly Quinn

There is no artist in Spokane like Molly Quinn. Her whimsical style is instantly recognizable to readers of The Spokesman-Review. She has painted gorgeous illustrations that instantly elevate the journalism accompanying it. She brings to life the stories that defy photography. She makes our pages better.
Rob Curley

Spokesman-Review editor Rob Curley loves to talk with people and learn about their lives, whether it's a best-selling author or a stranger he meets downtown on his walk to lunch. It's that inquisitive nature combined with a playful sense of storytelling that helps make our newspaper different than most.