‘They Blinked’: UPS Call Led to $30 Billion Teamsters Win

  • Tentative agreement was reached within hours of talks resuming
  • Union scores more pay, added paid holiday, to avert strike
WATCH: International Brotherhood of Teamsters General President Sean O’Brien says Amazon.com Inc. is “definitely a target” for organizing.
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Sean O’Brien was rallying a crowd of union members in Los Angeles last week to prepare them for a possible United Parcel Service Inc. strike, when the tides turned with a single phone call.

Moments after the Teamsters leader stepped off the stage, a UPS representative reached out to say the company wanted to resume negotiations that had fallen apart on July 5. O’Brien asked for a new proposal by email, and decided it was enough to restart talks.