exclusively package handlers and sorters. without these folks you re not going to get the package delivered to your front door. their starting salary $16.20, on average they make $20. they say they can t live off of that money, especially in places like california and new york. the average u.p.s. full-time worker makes $95,000 a year but they re all unified in this, and getting ready to strike if it comes to that. listen to what one of these part-time workers had to say. she has three boys and says she can barely pay her bills. the packages don t move unless we move them. the stuff doesn t go anywhere unless we move it. we re the ones that are making the money and we don t see any of it. like you re getting million dollar salaries and stuff and we re over here struggling to survive. how is that fair? you ve already gotten our blood, our sweat, our tears and everything, you know, it s taxing on the body.
jim, the union, the teamsters insist that they are ready to go on strike if it comes to that, if a deal can t be reached. for two weeks now they have been practicing across the nation with practice pickets with rallies like ones that we saw right here in atlanta. hundreds of people filling this hall, holding up signs like this, time to pay up. just practicing for a just contract. now, according to the anderson economic group, that s a research firm, a strike would be costly to the united states and ten-day u.p.s. strike they estimate would cost the economy $7 billion, making it the costliest work stoppage ever in u.s. history. 95% of the contract between both sides has been negotiated and is done so far, but that 5%, what is stopping them from reaching a deal here, one of the biggest points, is part-time workers specifically their compensation. starting pay is $16.20, with the
if it comes to a strike, that would be incredibly costly to the economy. anderson economic group, a research firm estimates that a ten-day ups strike would cost the economy over $7 billion, making it the costliest work stoppage ever in u.s. history. one of the biggest sticking points to this negotiation are part-time workers. on average, full-time ups workers make 95,000 a year, but part-time workers make on average $20 an hour with the starting pay at $16.20. the union says that has to change. it needs to be a more livable wage. here s what else the general president had to say about negotiations. we did not get a deal. ups has chosen to strike