Working People19 Juli 2023

The Showdown at UPS (w/ Rikki Schreiner & Amber Mathwig)

We are less than two weeks away from what could be the largest single-employer strike in US history. As of this recording, contract negotiations between United Parcel Services (UPS) and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters have reportedly "collapsed"—and the clock is ticking until the current contract expires on July 31. If a deal is not reached and a strike occurs, what will it look like for 340,000 Teamster UPSers to walk off the job? What are the key issues that workers are prepared to strike over? And what can we all do to support them, whether a strike occurs or not? In this episode, we continue our coverage of the historic UPS contract fight by talking to Rikki Schreiner, a shop steward for Teamsters Local 638 in Minnesota who has worked for UPS since 1999, and Amber Mathwig, a part-time UPS warehouse worker and member of Teamsters Local 638.

Additional links/info below...

M4M4ALL fundraiser for East Palestine residents
Savage Joy-Marie's Twitter page, Rokfin channel, YouTube channel, and Patreon
Amber's Twitter page
Teamsters Local 638 website, Facebook page, and Twitter page
International Brotherhood of Teamsters website, Facebook page, and Twitter page
The Upsurge podcast Spotify page, Twitter page, and Patreon
Teddy Ostrow & Ruby Walsh, The Real News Network, "For Women Workers at UPS, Fighting the Bosses Means Fighting the Patriarchy"
Citations Needed, "News Brief: As UPS Strike "Looms," Media Frames Working-Class Revolt as "Threat" to "The Economy""
Teddy Ostrow, Jacobin, "Part-Time UPS Workers Say Their Jobs Are Brutal"
Teamsters for a Democratic Union website, Facebook page, and Twitter page
Sean Orr & Elliot Lewis, Jacobin, "UPS Teamsters Are Ready to Strike"
Working People, "Sean Orr"
Working People, "Teamsters in Boston Have a Message for UPS (w/ Thomas Mari, Jane Fallon, Rob Atkinson, JJ Rodriguez, Fred Zuckerman, Julie, & Sean M. O'Brien)"
Working People, ""If You Can't Stand the Heat, Keep Working" (w/ Zakk, Gabriela, & Steve)"
Alex Press, Jacobin, "Inside the Teamsters' Preparations for a UPS Strike"
J.J. McCorvey, Adiel Kaplan, & Annie Probert, NBC News, "UPS Drivers on Track to Get Air-Conditioned Trucks for the First Time"

Permanent links below...

Working People Patreon page
Leave us a voicemail and we might play it on the show!
Labor Radio / Podcast Network website, Facebook page, and Twitter page
In These Times website, Facebook page, and Twitter page
The Real News Network website, YouTube channel, podcast feeds, Facebook page, and Twitter page

Featured Music (all songs sourced from the Free Music Archive: freemusicarchive.org)

Jules Taylor, "Working People" Theme Song

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