UPS has rehired 250 protesting workers in New York, an about-face after criticisms from New York elected officials and others of the firing of the employees.
Sandy Springs-based UPS said it agreed to a settlement with the Teamsters union representing the workers, and will reduce the terminations to a two-week suspension without pay. Last week, the company said the walkout of drivers violated their labor agreement and the company had no plans to reinstate them. But that changed this week.
“UPS has chosen to settle the matter in order to return to normal operations at the site,” the shipping giant said in a written statement Thursday.
After ten hours of negotiations Wednesday, Teamsters Local 804 agreed to compensate UPS for damages from lost employee time, “negative impact on goodwill” and other costs.
Neither the company nor the union released a specific amount.
The walkout happened in February following a hearing discussing a grievance over the firing of long-time employee Jairo Reyes. UPS spokesman Steve Gaut said a union official left the meeting and called for a walkout, with 250 of the 1,400 workers at the New York facility following him out the door in a 90-minute work stoppage.
The union said the work stoppage was legal because the company did not abide by the procedure for settlement of disputes. The company disagreed.
Teamsters Local 804 acknowledged, however, that its internal procedures for authorizing a strike were not properly followed. With Reyes and the other employees reinstated, the union said it agreed to communicate the proper procedure to its members.
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