UPS workers rallied outside their Maspeth headquarters last month after the company told 250 employees they would be fired. File photo.
The mood shifted from rage to rejoicing exactly one week after a crowd stomped on the steps of City Hall and demanded the United Parcel Service undo the firing of 250 Maspeth workers.
UPS agreed to take back the pink slips and instead slap the workers with a two-week suspension without pay, a spokeswoman for the company said.
“UPS has chosen to settle the matter in order to return to normal operations at the site,” she said.
The company argued the workers were in violation of their collectively bargained agreements by walking out on the job in a brief Feb. 26 protest against the termination of Jairo Reyes after 24 years on the job. Workers contended Reyes was not granted the kinds of termination rights as stated in his contract and unified in his corner.
Workers’ pleas spread quickly and sparked top city officials to speak up, including Public Advocate Letitia James, City Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley (D-Middle Village), City Councilman Rory Lancman (D-Fresh Meadows), City Comptroller Scott Stringer and state Sen. Tony Avella (D-Bayside). An angry mass took to City Hall last week and threatened to cut a public contract with the company worth $43 million.
The final settlement with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and IBT Local 804 ruled that IBT Local 804 would compensate UPS for damages associated with the loss of productive employee time, other company costs and the negative impact on goodwill, the company said. Local 804 officials acknowledged the Feb. 26 walkout was illegal and unauthorized and agreed to undertake other actions within the bargaining unit to correct the situation, the spokeswoman said.
Elected officials praised the settlement Thursday as evidence of strength in numbers.
“Today marks a huge victory, not just for the 250 UPS workers who now have their jobs back, but for the entire organized labor movement and working families across New York City,” Crowley said. “I am incredibly proud of the powerful precedents for working class people this administration is already setting. ”
U.S. Reps. Joseph Crowley (D-Jackson Heights) and Grace Meng (D-Forest Hills) fired off a joint statement praising the delivery service for striking a new deal with its workers.
“We are very pleased that UPS and Teamsters Local 804 were able to come to an agreement that allows all 250 workers at its Maspeth facility to keep their jobs,” the representatives said. “Last week, we relayed our serious concerns in a letter to UPS and advocated for a solution to ensure these workers not lose their jobs. We’re glad they took our concerns into account and heeded that request.”
By Phil Corso
