Washington, D.C. — The International Brotherhood of Teamsters came out swinging on April 29, 2025, after United Parcel Service dropped a bombshell in its quarterly earnings call: the company plans to slash 20,000 jobs this year. Sean M. O’Brien, the union’s general president, didn’t mince words, signaling a bare-knuckle brawl if UPS dares to touch union jobs protected by their hard-won contract.
The Atlanta-based logistics giant, grappling with economic headwinds, laid out its cost-cutting playbook during the call. Alongside the job reductions, UPS plans to shutter 73 leased and owned facilities in 2025, following the closure of 11 buildings and 12,000 layoffs last year. The company’s leadership pointed to shifting trade patterns and rising costs, but the Teamsters aren’t buying excuses. O’Brien’s statement was blunt as a brick: if UPS targets union positions or sidesteps contractual obligations, the company’s in for a “hell of a fight.”
At the heart of the clash is a landmark agreement forged in August 2023 between UPS and the Teamsters, representing roughly 330,000 of the company’s workers. That deal, hailed as a victory for labor, mandates the creation of 30,000 union jobs—a commitment the union says UPS is now dodging. The Teamsters, founded in 1903 and boasting 1.3 million members across the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico, aren’t new to scrappy battles. They’ve got the muscle and the will to dig in.
O’Brien left the door cracked for some cuts, noting the union won’t block reductions in corporate management. But the line in the sand is clear: good-paying, unionized jobs are non-negotiable. UPS’s announcement comes as the company navigates a rocky economic landscape, with profits beating estimates but forecasts dimmed by global trade uncertainties. The Teamsters, though, aren’t here for corporate sob stories—they’re gearing up to hold the line.
The union’s response underscores a broader tension in the logistics sector, where workers face mounting pressure from automation, cost-cutting, and economic shifts. For now, the Teamsters are braced for war, ready to defend every job they’ve fought for. The ball’s in UPS’s court, and the clock’s ticking.