With August 1 rapidly approaching and no settlement in sight between UPS and its 340,000 union employees, a potentially disruptive work stoppage is becoming more likely. Teamsters Union general president Sean O’Brien recently said, “The largest single-employer strike in American history now appears inevitable.” The fallout would be huge.
Nearly 1 in 4 packages shipped in the U.S. is carried by UPS — 20-million packages per day — and in the event of a strike, no combination of carriers will be able to pick up all of that volume.
Some retailers will be hit harder than others. AxleHire COO Adam Bryant believes that companies that prepared to diversify during the pandemic-related supply chain disruptions of 2021 are less likely to see major disruptions in the event of a strike next month. Like many other carriers, AxleHire will look to support its existing customers first should a UPS work stoppage occur, and then will take on additional volume on a first-come, first-served basis.
Adam’s insights are highlighted in an article from Sourcing Journal, along with thoughts from other industry experts and the latest information on the UPS situation. The article was also syndicated by Yahoo Life.
