UPS pilots union says it will honor Teamsters picket line if strike happens

If the Teamsters strike against UPS, they will be joined in solidarity by a separate union of UPS pilots.

The Independent Pilots Association (IPA) told FOX Business Friday that should the Teamsters picket, it will honor them. 

That confirmation comes after IPA President Bob Travis had committed to doing so in a letter earlier this month, saying the IPA would “act in sympathy with our fellow workers at UPS by not working.”

“No one wants a work stoppage, but should a legal IBT strike be initiated, you and the IBT can count on the IPA for support,” he wrote to the Teamsters. 

CNN earlier reported on the IPA’s promise to do so. Over 3,300 pilots who fly for UPS belong to the union, according to the IPA’s website.

The July 31 expiration date for the contract UPS has with the roughly 340,000 workers represented by the Teamsters is rapidly approaching, meaning workers could start picketing if a deal is not reached.

UPS, TEAMSTERS TO RESUME TALKS AS STRIKE DEADLINE NEARS

The sides are scheduled to resume talks in the coming week, and UPS said it was “pleased to be back at the negotiating table next week to resolve the few remaining open issues.” 

The company also said it was “prepared to increase our industry-leading pay and benefits.” 

The resumption of talks will come after a two-week pause preceded by a breakdown in negotiations.

“Unless we have an agreement on July 31 that secures the pay, dignity, and respect our members deserve, 340,000 #Teamsters will take to the streets to remind @UPS who actually runs this company,” the Teamsters quoted Fred Zuckerman, their general secretary-treasurer, as saying in a tweet Friday.

In its most recent annual report, UPS said it completed the deliveries of 6.2 billion packages globally in 2022, averaging 24.3 million daily.

“While we have made great progress and are close to reaching an agreement, we have a responsibility as an essential service provider to take steps to help ensure we can deliver our customers’ packages if the Teamsters choose to strike,” UPS said in a statement.

Many UPS workers in the U.S. “will participate in training that would help them safely serve our customers if there is a labor disruption,” a “temporary plan” the company said “has no effect on current operations and the industry-leading service our people continue to provide for our customers.”

The Atlanta-based company’s U.S. workforce totals about 443,000 with over 70% belonging to unions, according to its annual report.

Breck Dumas contributed to this report.