The Upsurge is a podcast about UPS, the Teamsters, and the future of the American labor movement. It is produced in partnership with In These Times and The Real News Network.
On July 31, the labor contract of over 340,000 UPS workers will expire, and if their demands aren’t met in a new collective bargaining agreement, they may launch one of the largest strikes in US history. The contract fight by the Teamsters union, which represents the workers, may be the most important fight for the labor movement in a generation.
Through interviews with UPS workers themselves, as well as experts and other workers and activists, The Upsurge explores what makes this an unprecedented moment in US history. Please become a patron to keep this show going. The show is produced by NYGP with the help of Ruby Walsh and in partnership with In These Times. Teddy Ostrow is host and co-producer of the show.
Listen to the show on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or anywhere you can listen to podcasts.
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Latest Episode
Auto workers may strike next week—here’s why
150,000 United Auto Workers members are on the verge of launching a strike against the Big Three automakers—Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis. The electric vehicle transition’s effects on the industry are a major catalyst.
Previous Episodes
The UPS Teamsters contract has been ratified. What now?
With record turnout and 86.3% of members voting to ratify the new contract, the Teamsters have a major victory under their belt. But the fight doesn’t stop here.
Teamsters organizing delivers the goods at UPS
UPS Teamsters nationwide are voting on the tentative agreement for the largest private-sector labor contract in the United States. The vote will end on August 22. A majority decision will determine whether the contract is ratified, or the national negotiating committee will return to the bargaining table and potentially call a strike.
UPS and Teamsters reach tentative agreement, but is a strike still possible?
In this special July 25 live panel discussion with Teamster UPSers—a collaboration between The Real News, In These Times, and The Upsurge podcast—we hear workers’ live reactions to the new tentative agreement and discuss where we go from here.
United Auto Workers could strike next after Teamsters
150,000 UAW workers at the Big 3 automakers—Ford, GM, and Stellantis—could follow the lead of their UPS union siblings in a strike come September unless a new contract can be negotiated.
UPS-Teamsters contract negotiations collapse—what gig work has to do with it
With their UPS contract set to expire at the end of the month, the Teamsters have walked away from negotiations and begun practice pickets.
UPS Teamsters just voted to strike. What’s next?
UPS still has until Aug. 1 to meet workers’ demands, but picket lines will start forming in the week ahead.
The Teamsters take Amazon
Amazon’s non-unionized workforce is an existential threat to the Teamsters—but signs of Amazon workers unionizing with the IBT could change the game.
For women workers at UPS, fighting the bosses means fighting the patriarchy
Sexual harassment and gender discrimination are among workers’ many grievances against UPS, which is facing an upcoming contract battle that could see 300,000 Teamsters hit the picket lines.
UPS and the Logistics Revolution
A UPS strike could shake the world economy. Historian Joe Allen explains how the rise of modern logistics owes everything to workers.
Contract negotiations between UPS and Teamsters off to a bitter start
Workers say management has blown off some of their meetings, and retaliated with layoffs against attempts to take negotiations out of the bargaining room.