United Parcel Service IncTeamsters president warns a strike is likely when the UPS contract expires in 2028, threatening major operational disruption.

Teamsters General President Sean O'Brien is publicly threatening a strike against United Parcel Service when the current five-year contract covering 330,000 unionized drivers and warehouse workers expires on July 31, 2028, saying he is not optimistic about reaching a tentative agreement without a walkout. O'Brien laid out the union's demands on a series of self-produced Teamsters podcasts, including no automation or autonomous trucks, protection of health and pension benefits, organizing UPS Supply Chain Solutions and the Roadie gig-delivery subsidiary, and a new right for all four union regions to strike mid-contract over deadlocked grievances. UPS spokeswoman Gennevieve Bowman said the current agreement remains in place through July 31, 2028, and that the company remains committed to working with the Teamsters, pointing to top driver pay of $45.75 an hour and no-premium healthcare as evidence the contract is good for employees. The 2023 agreement, which the union valued at $30 billion, included a $2.75-an-hour first-year wage increase, raised part-time starting pay to $21 an hour, and ended a two-tier driver wage system. UPS reported $88.7 billion in revenue last year and spent $1 billion on stock buybacks in 2025, while parcel analyst Satish Jindel of ShipMatrix argued a strike would let UPS hire replacement drivers at much lower cost and break the union. The last national UPS strike, in 1997, shut the company down for 15 days and cost more than $600 million in lost business.
United Parcel Service IncTeamsters president warns a strike is likely when the UPS contract expires in 2028, threatening major operational disruption.
Roadie is mentioned only as a UPS gig-delivery subsidiary the Teamsters want to organize.