Atlanta-based UPS reaches contract with unionized workers, averting potentially calamitous strike

A UPS truck drives by as Sean M. O'Brien, left, teamsters general president, UPS teamsters and workers hold a rally Friday, July 21, 2023, in Atlanta, as a national strike deadline neared. UPS reached a contract agreement with its 340,000-person union Tuesday, averting a strike. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

This story was updated at 3:06 p.m.

UPS has reached a tentative contract agreement with its 340,000-person strong union, potentially averting a strike that threatened to disrupt logistics nationwide for businesses and households alike.

The agreement was announced Tuesday, the first day that UPS and the Teamsters had returned to the table after contentions negotiations broke down earlier this month, to talk over remaining sticking points in the largest private-sector contract in North America. Negotiators had already reached tentative agreements on a host of issues but continued to clash over pay for part-time workers who make up more than half of the UPS employees represented by the union.