In an early Wednesday statement, representatives for the union accused the shipping giant of leaving negotiations after proposing “an unacceptable offer to the Teamsters that did not address members’ needs.”
UPS also released a statement encouraging the union to “return to the negotiations table,” while blaming the union for halting talks despite a “historic offer that builds on our industry-leading pay.”
“Refusing to negotiate, especially when the finish line is in sight, creates significant unease among employees and customers and threatens to disrupt the U.S. economy,” UPS said.
The impasse comes as both sides have struggled to reach an agreement on wages, benefits and compensation.
“This multibillion-dollar corporation has plenty to give American workers — they just don’t want to,” Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien said in a statement.
UPS already agreed to nix a two-tired wage system for delivery drivers, make Martin Luther King Jr. Day a full holiday and end forced overtime for Teamsters.
That progress adds to a list of other non-economic issues both sides say they’ve agreed to, which includes heat-mitigation efforts like agreeing to air conditioning in certain newly purchased trucks in hotter areas beginning next year.
The Hill’s Tobias Burns has more here.
