The administration’s show of support comes as unprecedented worker organizing — from strike authorizations to work stoppages — hit multiple industries this year, including, transportation, entertainment, hospitality and health care.
Although several of the Teamsters’ demands have been met, the union is still pushing to raise wages for part-time workers at UPS, who earn a minimum of only $16.20 per hour. "These part-timers are working at poverty wages," Teamsters President Sean O'Brien said.
North Carolina is a major corridor for freight lines, and a strike would have made existing supply-line disruptions even worse across the state and nationally.
North Carolina has historically been unfriendly toward unions. But it’s where Vice President Kamala Harris came to call for more union jobs as the nation rebuilds from the pandemic.