The union representing about 340,000 UPS employees voted to approve a new contract on Tuesday.
The company reached a tentative five-year agreement with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters at the end of July and members had until Tuesday to finish voting on the contract's ratification.
More than 86% of union members voted to approve the ratification of the contract, according to a press release from the Teamsters.
"The agreement passed by the highest vote for a contract in the history of the Teamsters at UPS," the union stated.
Among other things, the five-year contract includes pay raises for all workers, more full-time jobs, and improved workplace protections, such as adding air conditioning in all new package delivery vehicles. By the end of the contract, the average full-time senior UPS delivery driver would earn around $170,000 annually in pay and benefits.
Average UPS driver to make $170,000 in pay, benefits with new contract
Current part-time workers also will see a bump in pay and benefits, bringing their pay to at least $25.75 an hour by the end of the five-year contract.
Unionized UPS workers voted overwhelmingly in June to authorize a strike if the company and its employees could not agree to a new contract by July 31, which would have set the stage for the largest U.S. labor walkout since the 1959 steelworkers strike. But Teamsters General President Sean O'Brien said months of negotiations are responsible for $30 billion in new money for workers and rewards them for their continued labor throughout the pandemic.
"We've changed the game, battling it out day and night to make sure our members won an agreement that pays strong wages, rewards their labor, and doesn't require a single concession," O'Brien said in a statement."This contract sets a new standard in the labor movement and raises the bar for all workers."
