2022 was the 12 months of quiet quitting (which, let’s be actual, was simply individuals taking again work/life steadiness and probably not “quitting” in any significant sense of the phrase). However in 2023, labor unions are on the rise. Between the writers and actors strikes in Hollywood, a possible United Auto Employees union strike on the horizon, and different strikes across the US, some have dubbed these previous few months “Scorching Labor Summer season.”
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It is not arduous to see why organized labor is having such a second. Costs on principally all the pieces have been going up, however for the common individual, wages have not risen accordingly. Plus, low unemployment charges imply that staff have extra leverage on this second to demand higher circumstances and higher pay. And for a lot of staff, this has been a very long time coming.
Considered one of this 12 months’s greatest labor tales was the historic contract the Teamsters negotiated for staff at UPS, averting a strike. UPS reportedly mentioned that this five-year contract will consequence within the common driver making about $170k a 12 months, a determine that is led to some on-line chatter from individuals claiming UPS drivers are being overpaid.
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However that is not the entire image, and lately, 33-year-old UPS driver Skyler Stutzman went viral on TikTok for the way in which he defined what this deal really means for drivers. In a video that is been considered over 18 million instances, Skyler says, “$170,000 a 12 months is a little bit of an exaggeration right here, however let me break it down for you. Now, I do not learn about you, however I really like factual data. So I will do my finest to only be clear concerning the wages that we make.”
Talking earlier than the brand new contract was voted on, Skyler defined, “Beneath present contract, our wage is $41.51 an hour. Now this contract that has been seen over social media, as soon as that contract ratified, which is within the voting course of proper now, we’ll be making $44.26 an hour. Now, should you do some fast math right here, should you had been to take $44.26 an hour instances 2,080 hours, which is 40 hours per week, that comes out to about $92,000 a 12 months, however that is not together with extra time, and it is also not the vital half that we’re lacking right here.”
Skyler continued by explaining how the medical insurance coverage and pension he receives as a driver add as much as this complete. “Now our pension, do not quote me, but it surely’s roughly someplace between $11 and $13 per hour that is paid into our pension on the 2080 hours, which comes out roughly about $25,000 a 12 months. Now, you may determine the medical insurance coverage at no matter you need, however you may rapidly see that it could really take about $170,000 a 12 months job to interchange this one for me. Now, whereas the media is making it somewhat extra profound than it truly is, they’re actually not that far off of how superb it’s to work for this firm.”
Mainly, the $170k quantity represents complete compensation, which is a crucial factor to think about if you’re taking a look at your pay or evaluating salaries. With out a sturdy advantages package deal, you would find yourself in a scenario the place you make extra on paper than you really find yourself holding on to after shelling out for requirements like medical insurance.
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Watch the entire video right here:
@skylerleestutzman / Through tiktok.com
Many of the prime commenters had been supportive of Skyler’s message and actually appreciated the transparency. One commenter wrote, “Folks, get mad on the firms, hospitals, and companies which are UNDERPAYING, not at an worker who has a dwelling wage now.”
One other commenter chimed in, “Should you’re making much less in one other discipline and upset, do not carry these staff down, discover out why your discipline is not prepared to give you a livable wage!”
Different commenters referenced the less-publicized indisputable fact that the brand new UPS deal may even make air con in UPS vans a requirement for the primary time after greater than 100 UPS staff have been hospitalized for heat-related sickness in the previous few years. (I genuinely cannot consider UPS staff have been driving round within the warmth with out AC within the 12 months 2023).
Some gently roasted UPS drivers, like this one who wrote, “$90k I’d count on my package deal to be on time and delivered to my door and never the neighbors.”
Some fellow UPS staff additionally identified that the $170k determine does not apply to everybody. One individual wrote, “I am a loader at UPS. I make $19.20 per hour and solely get 4.5 hours a day. There’s a HUGE disparity between drivers and everybody else.”
And others praised the facility of unions and half-jokingly requested somewhat little bit of assist. One commenter wrote, “Can the UPS union come assist out instructor unions?”
One other commenter added, “The one purpose why it is superb to work for UPS is the union. Which fights towards company executives and towards the shareholders.”
Whereas others rightfully identified that delivering packages is a lot more durable than it appears (Most jobs are, TBH). As somebody who repeatedly misplaced my mood whereas doing a lot lighter meals supply shifts, sure, this positively checks out. Driving all day is tiring and will be harmful at instances, to not point out the heavy lifting concerned in some UPS deliveries. And to do all that with out air con on this warmth? I would not final an hour.
There have been additionally fairly a couple of commenters who appreciated seeing that Skyler confirmed himself clocking out to make the video, then clocking again in when he was finished. Should you’re gonna publish about work on social media, it is a nice approach to do it.
However some commenters weren’t so glad to find out about how a lot UPS drivers make. One commenter wrote, “I am sorry, that is ridiculous. Most RNs [registered nurses] do not make that a lot.” In a video made in response, Skyler mentioned, “I by no means mentioned that I ought to make greater than anyone within the medical business. Now, this may be somewhat little bit of an unpopular opinion, however I do not assume I ought to make much less. I believe they need to make extra.”
@skylerleestutzman / Through tiktok.com
Skyler instructed BuzzFeed that he is been working for UPS since 2008, and in one other video he mentioned, “I’ve really been with the corporate for 15 years now. And to have the ability to say that at such a younger age, I really feel very blessed.”
In an announcement, Teamsters Normal President Sean M. O’Brien mentioned of the deal, “Teamsters have set a brand new customary and raised the bar for pay, advantages, and dealing circumstances within the package deal supply business. That is the template for a way staff must be paid and guarded nationwide, and nonunion firms like Amazon higher listen.”