Category: UPS News

The 1,200 mechanics who work on the planes at United Parcel Service have voted overwhelmingly to go on strike.

But a potential strike would have to overcome several hurdles — including a possible presidential order from Donald Trump to return to work.

The Railway Labor Act, which governs labor law in the airline and railroad industries, requires unions to get the approval of a federal mediator before they can go on strike. If permission is granted, they must then wait through a 30-day cooling off period before striking. And if they do strike, the president order the union back to work within minutes.

Air maintenance workers at United Parcel Service Inc have voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike against the world’s largest package delivery company as contract talks remained deadlocked over health-care benefits, the workers’ union said on Monday.

Teamsters Local 2727 said 98 percent of those who took part in a mail-in ballot voted to authorize strike action. Eighty percent of the local’s 1,200 members participated in the ballot.

Contract talks have been ongoing for three years. If they remain deadlocked Monday, union representatives say they will begin the process that could lead to a strike within 60 days.

 

The Atlanta-based shipping giant is hoping that growth in specialty areas like healthcare can help offset competition in its core package delivery business.

Shipping firms like UPS, squeezed by competition for its core residential and business delivery services, have been turning to specialized areas like healthcare for growth. UPS has more than 100 healthcare-dedicated facilities worldwide including locations with the proper security and temperature controls to handle drugs, human materials and medical devices.

New York city and state authorities urged a federal judge on Wednesday to impose a fine of $872 million against United Parcel Service for delivering untaxed cigarettes from smoke shops on Indian reservations.

The closing arguments came in a lawsuit over whether UPS illegally shipped more than 683,000 cartons of untaxed cigarettes, mostly from reservation smoke shops. The lawsuit is part of a broader effort by the state to combat smuggling of cigarettes from lower-tax areas.