Air maintenance workers at United Parcel Service voted to authorize a strike after three years of unsuccessful contract negations over health benefits, reports Reuters.
Here are five things to know.
1. Teamsters Local 2727, the union representing the workers, said 80 percent of the union's 1,200 members participated in a mail-in ballot to vote on the strike. Of those members, 98 percent voted to authorize the strike.
2. Union members and UPS have mostly debated over healthcare benefits. According to the Teamsters, UPS wants to implement a large increase in retiree contributions for healthcare costs.
3. Members of the air maintenance staff work at various hubs across the U.S., with more than one-third of workers stationed in Louisville, Ky. — UPS' main hub, according to the report. A strike could ground UPS' planes and cause a major disruption to package deliveries.
4. Still, UPS said it was hopeful contract negotiations could be completed "without any disruption" to customers, reports Reuters.
5. The U.S. Railway Labor Act, which governs the UPS workers, only allows a strike to occur if negotiations and mediation fail. If negations remain deadlocked Monday, the union said it will ask permission to leave the negotiating table and start the process that could lead to a strike within 60 days, according to the report.
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