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As 340,000 United Parcel Service workers prepare to wage a historic strike, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York) on Saturday joined Teamsters union members and leaders at a rally in New York condemning the company for refusing to pay workers a fair wage.
“What we are about to step into requires solidarity from everybody,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “Your fight right here is about being the tip of the spear for dignity for every worker in this country.”
The rally was held at a Teamsters local office in Long Island with United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain and Teamsters President Sean O’Brien in attendance. The event came ahead of a likely strike that would start after UPS workers’ current labor contract expires on July 31, with no agreement for a replacement contract on the horizon.
If the workers go on strike, it would be the largest single-employer strike in history. Workers would also be joining more than 100,000 other union members on strike in Hollywood amid a historic wave of union activity and labor strikes.
“This is about making sure that we not just demand better wages, equal wages for our part-timers, making sure that we’re getting dignified conditions, A/C in trucks. But this is also about demanding respect,” Ocasio-Cortez told rally-goers. “That’s what this is about, demanding respect for our labor and for our workers.”
Earlier this month, the Teamsters announced that they secured the end to a two-tiered wage system that allowed the company to offer worse pay and benefits to newer workers, a major demand of the union. Last month, union negotiators were able to have air-conditioning added to the company’s delivery trucks, another key demand as drivers have reported temperatures within their cabs reaching over 120 degrees.
Ocasio-Cortez went on to criticize UPS for refusing to comply with the union’s wage demands in a time of record profits for the company. “This shouldn’t even be a fight. UPS raked in $16 billion in profit last year, and they’re trying to say that ‘we can’t afford part timers to pay them a living wage.’ I don’t think so,” the lawmaker said. “You all standing up — that is always the nexus. If we don’t stand up for ourselves, no one will stand up for us.”
This is the second time that Ocasio-Cortez has rallied with UPS workers ahead of their strike. Earlier this month, she joined workers at a practice picket in Queens, New York, telling picketers that UPS can afford to pay its workers higher wages but is choosing not to.
Wages, especially for part-time workers, are a major issue for the union, with part-time workers often making less than half the rate of full-time workers. Amid worsening extreme heat due to the climate crisis, workers have also reported having to work in grueling conditions while being surveilled by management.
Holding Trump accountable for his illegal war on Iran
The devastating American and Israeli attacks have killed hundreds of Iranians, and the death toll continues to rise.
As independent media, what we do next matters a lot. It’s up to us to report the truth, demand accountability, and reckon with the consequences of U.S. militarism at this cataclysmic historical moment.
Trump may be an authoritarian, but he is not entirely invulnerable, nor are the elected officials who have given him pass after pass. We cannot let him believe for a second longer that he can get away with something this wildly illegal or recklessly dangerous without accountability.
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