Work Saturdays, Huh? How UPS Drivers Resisted by Complying - Labor Notes
Like letter carriers at the Postal Service, UPS drivers are also facing forced overtime—and the problem is only going to get worse as the holidays get closer.
In Columbus, Ohio, a little collective action “did a lot of good for morale,” said delivery driver and Teamsters Local 413 steward Nick Perry.
The issue: UPS is ordering drivers in the top tier, called “regular package car drivers,” to work on Saturdays.
There’s already a second tier, “hybrid drivers,” who work every Saturday (and earn lower wages). But the union contract limits hybrids to 25 percent of the workforce, so UPS can’t hire any more of them.
Rather than pay all the benefits costs of hiring more regular drivers, the company is willing to pay the premium to force its existing regular drivers in on their day off so it can run more routes on the weekends.
Like letter carriers at the Postal Service, UPS drivers are also facing forced overtime—and the problem is only going to get worse as the holidays get closer.
In Columbus, Ohio, a little collective action “did a lot of good for morale,” said delivery driver and Teamsters Local 413 steward Nick Perry.
The issue: UPS is ordering drivers in the top tier, called “regular package car drivers,” to work on Saturdays.
There’s already a second tier, “hybrid drivers,” who work every Saturday (and earn lower wages). But the union contract limits hybrids to 25 percent of the workforce, so UPS can’t hire any more of them.
Rather than pay all the benefits costs of hiring more regular drivers, the company is willing to pay the premium to force its existing regular drivers in on their day off so it can run more routes on the weekends.
