Agreement Set to Cover UPS Freight Indiana Workers

In addition to their recent agreement on a new five-year labor contract covering UPS Inc.’s Teamsters parcel workers, the two announced a second pact to cover 125 drivers and dockworkers at the Indianapolis terminal of less-than-truckload unit UPS Freight.

A statement from the union took note of UPS Freight’s history. The LTL unit is the successor to Overnite Transportation Co., which waged a substantial, bitter fight with the union from 1999-2002.

Union President James Hoffa and another Teamsters official said their next goals, after gaining contract ratification in Indianapolis, would be to organize the rest of UPS Freight through the card-check process while trying to organize the LTL subsidiary of FedEx Corp.

“Thousands of Overnite workers fought so hard for this day to happen,” said Ken Hall, director of the Teamsters’ parcel division, who was lead negotiator. “We won’t stop until all UPS Freight workers have the secure future that they deserve by working under a Teamster contract.”

UPS spokesman Norman Black said the company’s position has not changed in that it does not see the need for union representation at UPS Freight. However, UPS will leave the decision on third-party labor representation up to its employees.

Most important, Black said, is avoiding any sort of protracted labor battle.

UPS reached agreement with the Teamsters Sept. 30.