The Jolt: UPS avoids driver strike, politicians breathe a sigh of relief
It’s not just President Joe Biden who is cheering the news that Sandy Springs-based UPS reached a tentative agreement with the Teamsters union that will keep 340,000 workers on the job.
The two sides were staring down a July 31 deadline to avoid a strike that could have wreaked havoc on the nation’s economy by slowing down the supply chain and affecting millions of daily deliveries.
Biden spoke on the phone with UPS President Carol Tomé and Teamsters President Sean O’Brien on Tuesday night.
“He warmly congratulated both on reaching an agreement and thanked them for their hard work,” the White House said in a statement. “During the call, the President pointed to their agreement as evidence that collective bargaining works and offered his best wishes for a smooth ratification.”
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens and congressional Democrats Nikema Williams (Atlanta) and Hank Johnson (Lithonia) were also among those applauding the deal. Republicans also took note of the collective bargaining at hand.
U.S. Rep. Rich McCormick, a first-term Republican from Suwanee, released a statement after the deal was announced saying he was glad to see an agreement that will “keep deliveries on schedule and drivers compensated fairly.”
“Countless families across America rely on both our nation’s robust shipping industry and the dedicated men and women who get things where they need to go,” McCormick wrote. “This is good news for everyone.”
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GIULIANI BREAKS. Kyle Cheney, a legal affairs reporter for Politico, just posted this morning a copy of a court filing from Rudy Giuliani’s team as part of his defense in a defamation lawsuit filed by two former Fulton County election workers.
In the document, Giuliani appears to stipulate that he did spread misinformation about Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss. The mother-daughter duo filed their defamation suit December 2021 accusing Giuliani and others of spreading false allegations about them based on video from ballot counting at State Farm Arena on election night in 2020.
Cheney wrote on social media that Giuliani appears to no longer be disputing their side of the story.
“Rudy Giuliani concedes in a court filing that he made ‘false’ statements about Georgia election workers Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss and no longer contests the factual allegations in their defamation lawsuit,” he wrote.
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LISTEN UP. In the latest episode of the Politically Georgia podcast, host Greg Bluestein is joined by senior reporter Tamar Hallerman to discuss how the federal probe of Trump overlaps with Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’ investigation.
Plus, we’ll dig deeper into former President Donald Trump’s fundraising numbers in Georgia and what they mean for his comeback bid.
Listen and subscribe to our podcast for free at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Google Podcasts. You can also tell your smart speaker to “play Politically Georgia podcast.”
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COUNTRY BACKLASH. The View’s Sunny Hostin took a shot at Macon over Jason Aldean’s controversial song, calling the country singer’s hometown one of the “most racist places in this country.” Now Macon is responding.
Hostin panned the middle Georgia city during a discussion over “Try That In A Small Town,” the Aldean song that has been criticized for its lyrics and setting. The video was filmed on the Tennessee site of a 1946 race riot and a 1927 mob lynching of a Black teenager.
Macon’s tourism agency broadcast an interview with Justin Andrews, Otis Redding’s grandson, highlighting the city’s diversity and community.
“Macon is 200 years of history. We can’t change the past, but everything we do changes the future. We invite you to come experience the true soul and heartbeat of Macon for yourself.”
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GEORGIA AT THE WHITE HOUSE. Democratic state Rep. Mary Margaret Oliver of Decatur, an architect of the Georgia law expanding access to mental health care, was at the White House for President Joe Biden’s latest effort to improve treatment.
Biden unveiled new rules that prod insurers to expand their coverage of mental health treatments. It’s part of a “unity agenda” that he believed should win bipartisan support that he first launched last year.
And earlier on Tuesday, Congressman Hank Johnson attended a separate White House event where Biden signed a proclamation establishing three monument sites in Illinois and Mississippi dedicated to Emmett Till and his mother, Mamie Till-Mobley.
“I am honored to have been present for this historic moment,” the Lithonia Democrat wrote in a tweet. He also posted a video recapping his experience.
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TODAY IN WASHINGTON:
- Three former members of the military will testify during a U.S. House Oversight Committee hearing on unidentified flying objects or UFOs.
- The Senate is working through amendments to the National Defense Authorization Act, including one authored by U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., in hopes of taking a final vote by the end of the week.
- Senators will also attend a closed-door briefing on artificial intelligence.
- The House will begin debate on spending bills.
- U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson, D-Lithonia, will join Senate Leader Chuck Schumer and others for a news conference highlighting the one-year anniversary of the Inflation Reduction Act, legislation containing health care and climate change programs.
- President Joe Biden has no public events scheduled.
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PERSONNEL DEPT. Congratulations to Sandra Parrish, the veteran WSB radio political reporter who is retiring after 28 years with the outlet.
Parrish is looking forward to a life in the mountains — and on stage. She’s recently rekindled her love of acting and expects to perform regularly at the community theater in Blue Ridge.
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IN MEMORIAM. Hugh Alton Carter Jr., who served four years as Special Assistant to President Jimmy Carter and later owned a book-publishing business in Atlanta, has died.
Known as “Sonny,” he was the son of a first cousin of Jimmy Carter and served as a liaison between the administration and former presidents Gerald Ford and Richard Nixon, the AJC’s Ernie Suggs wrote.
Jason Carter, the president’s grandson and chairman of the Carter Center, was among those who reflected on Hugh Alton Carter Jr.’s death on Sunday at age 80.
“He was not only close family, but he was crucial in my grandfather’s election as president by organizing the famous Peanut Brigade, and he skillfully implemented true zero-based budgeting within my grandfather’s White House,” he said.
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DOG OF THE DAY. The Dog of the Day is taking vacation this week, but will be back on July 31. Send us your dogs of any political persuasion and cats on a cat-by-cat basis to patricia.murphy@ajc.com, or DM us on Twitter @MurphyAJC.
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AS ALWAYS, Jolt readers are some of our favorite tipsters. Send your best scoop, gossip and insider info to patricia.murphy@ajc.com, tia.mitchell@ajc.com and greg.bluestein@ajc.com.
About the Authors
Tia Mitchell is the AJC’s Washington Bureau Chief and a co-host of the "Politically Georgia" podcast. She writes about Georgia’s congressional delegation, campaigns, elections and the impact that decisions made in D.C. have on residents of the Peach State.
Greg Bluestein is the Atlanta Journal Constitution's chief political reporter. He is also an author, TV analyst and co-host of the Politically Georgia podcast.
