KDSN RADIO News
Deadline Nears For Iowa's Unionized UPS Workers To Vote On New Contract
About 800 U-P-S employees in Iowa have until August 22nd to vote on the contract the company and the Teamsters Union negotiated. The deal would give all U-P-S full and part-time employees in the country a raise and guarantee a wage rate of at least 21 dollars an hour. James Bartlett is a Teamsters union steward. He delivers packages for U-P-S in Milford and Okoboji and is a "yes" vote for the contract. He says most of the people in rural shops like his are in favor of the contract, while some part-timers in larger cities want to hold out for higher wage increases. “Just like in a presidential election or anything else, you have to make your voice heard and if our rural area doesn’t represent itself, then we're going to let these bigger centers absorb our voice and tell us what to do," he says. Part-time U-P-S employee Adam Spencer has worked at the company's facility in Hiawatha for nearly two decades. He's a "yes" vote on the contract, but he's heard the concerns that part-timers need a bigger raise. "You're never going to satisfy everybody, but I think it was very important to start off those newer employees at a higher rate," he said, "and I think it will be a great way for us to get better employees that want to come and work at UPS." Teamsters leadership has recommended the deal. The company has called the five-year contract offer a win-win-win for the union, employees, and the company.
