(WASHINGTON) – The following is a statement from Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien on recent actions by UPS to deny collective bargaining rights to members in Louisville, Ky.:

“There are more than 1,100 Teamsters currently engaged in an unfair labor practice strike against DHL in Kentucky. Unfortunately, United Parcel Service recklessly thinks this is the best time to engage in similar practices to disrespect and abuse our members in the same state.

“This fall, approximately 35 specialist and administrative workers at UPS’s Centennial hub successfully organized with Teamsters Local 89. They voted overwhelmingly to join 340,000 UPS Teamsters nationwide who just finalized the most historic union contract this summer in the history of the company. Today, despite the ruling of an independent arbitrator, UPS shamefully laid off these workers, falsely claiming their labor should be performed by management.

“The Teamsters are fighting hard for our members at DHL right now. But Louisville is red hot. If UPS doesn’t get its act together, they’ll be on strike next. Local 89 is currently filing unfair labor practice charges against UPS. Our union will not hesitate to act, and we will not back down. The Teamsters will protect all our members in the delivery and logistics industry no matter the cost.

“UPS has been given notice it has until Monday to rectify this situation. On behalf of 1.3 million Teamsters across North America, I suggest UPS move fast and act accordingly.”

Teamsters Local 89 represents more than 2,000 UPS Teamsters at the Centennial hub and more than 12,000 UPS Teamsters at the Worldport hub in Louisville.

Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 1.3 million hardworking people in the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico. Visit Teamster.org for more information. Follow us on Twitter @Teamsters and “like” us on Facebook at Facebook.com/teamsters.

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