Teamsters drivers feel betrayed after UPS ratification

ORLANDO, Fla. — Tens of thousands of Teamsters members this month rejected a five-year contract agreement with United Parcel Service, unhappy with a proposal to create a new class of drivers with lower pay.

But after less than half of the eligible union members cast ballots, one of the largest collective bargaining contracts in the nation has been ratified.

Fifty-four percent of the ballots were “no” votes, but under a Teamster rule, a rejection requires two-thirds of the voters to vote down the contract when less than half of eligible members participate.

Now, many Teamsters members are angry, divided and feel like their union leaders have betrayed them.

“This destroys unions,” said Sean Mason, a UPS driver in the Orlando, Florida, area. “They had 54 percent of the people vote no, and they ignored the vote.”

Atlanta-based UPS has one of the nation’s largest unionized workforces, with the Teamsters representing around 240,000 UPS drivers, package sorters, loaders and clerks. UPS workers represent the largest share of members of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, whose president, James Hoffa, is the son of the legendary Teamsters president Jimmy Hoffa, whose 1975 disappearance is an enduring mystery.

During the Oct. 5 UPS vote, 44 percent of eligible Teamsters members cast ballots for the national contract. Under a rule in the Teamster’s constitution, in cases where less than half of eligible members vote, at least two-thirds of voters must oppose the contract for it to be rejected.

Another contract for about 12,000 UPS freight workers also was rejected this month, but two-thirds of eligible members cast ballots.

In a message to members on the Teamsters website for UPS workers, union leaders said their hands were tied.

“And as we saw in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, winning the popular vote does not necessarily win the election when the Constitution requires you to win the Electoral College vote,” the message said. “As Teamsters, we too must abide by the rules in our Constitution.”