Photos by Ty O’Neil
Members of Teamsters Local 533 took up their protest signs again on Thursday, but this time in support of part-time workers at the UPS shipping facility in Sparks. The UPS workers say the company is planning pay cuts for some employees despite the company bringing in billions of dollars in profit.
Teamsters gathered along Vista Boulevard in Sparks for two shifts—one from 8-10:30 a.m. and the other from 4-6 p.m. A similar protest was planned for UPS facilities in northern California.
A flyer distributed by the union called out UPS’s record-breaking profits for 2021 and “back-breaking workloads” endured by employees.
“UPS has never given us hazard pay, and now it is planning to cut the pay of part-time workers by up to $6 per hour,” read a statement on the flyer.
Workers also said a new attendance system at the company gave incentives for coming to work while sick, but didn’t provide additional details.
UPS’s hiring website promotes an Emergency Paid Leave program that grants up to 10 days of paid sick leave should an employee or member of their immediate household test positive for COVID-19, or should an employee be mandated quarantine by a physician or public health official.
CNN in October 2021 reported on the company’s $8.9 billion in operating profit for the first nine months of 2021, announced to investors during an earnings call. During that call, UPS CEO Carol Tomé also said the company would be increasing shipping rates in 2022 by 5.9%, higher than the 4.9% price hike passed on to consumers in 2020.
