UPS & PVDs: A Message from President Schaefer & Secretary-Treasurer Cales
To: Teamsters Local 710 UPS Members
Re: PVDs
Brothers and Sisters,
As some of you may already know, on August 30, 2022, Teamsters Local 710 received a very favorable ruling from arbitrator Gil Vernon on the Personal Vehicle Driver (“PVD”) dispute. The arbitrator ruled that UPS had to provide certain information about PVDs to the Local, and that they had to sit down with the Union and bargain over implementation of PVDs for the 2022 Peak Season.
UPS has informed us that they are not using PVDs in Local 710’s jurisdiction, and that PVD use will now be a subject of bargaining in the 2023 negotiations. We have heard that UPS is trying to blame Local 710 for not reaching an agreement on the use of PVDs. This is false. We were more than willing to bargain over the effects that would allow UPS to use PVDs if the company agreed to protect work opportunities for our current members. Indeed, Teamsters Local 710 has met with UPS numerous times to discuss the use of PVDs for the upcoming Peak season. But UPS is refusing to agree to the protections you deserve — protections that would ensure that UPS can’t undercut your job security by bringing in new employees to do your work. Teamsters 710 will not sign off on an agreement that will give away overtime opportunities or hours guarantees that our members already have.
If this round of talks with UPS is any indication of how they plan to approach contract negotiations next year, we could be in for a hard fight. Please start saving your money now, if you haven’t already. We all need to be prepared to do whatever it takes to get the fair contract you deserve.
In solidarity,
Del Schaefer
President & Business Agent
Mike Cales
Secretary-Treasurer & Principal Officer