Experts predict a UPS strike could happen as early as August 2023, which will affect nearly every college in America.

The contract between UPS & Teamsters Labor Union is set to expire on August 1^st, 2023. Negotiations between the world’s largest carrier company and the many employees under the labor union were set to begin in the Spring. Experts believe a strike will happen before the two sides are even able to begin negotiating, as reported by CNN.

This could have a major effect on almost every household in America and nearly every college institution in the country. The United Parcel Service moves over 20 million packages a day in the United States; with so many packages it leaves no other alternatives for students to get their packages. Other carrier services, such as Fedex, USPS and Amazon will not be able to handle the capacity of daily packages that UPS drivers deliver.

This will result in college students all over the country to find an alternative to having their packages delivered. When speaking with students at Delaware State University, the common sentiment by many was they rely more on Amazon and their drivers to deliver packages. The reason for Amazon being so dominant in the student demographic is the company’s ability to deliver packages in the same day and next day. The UPS strike will also affect Amazon and their users because UPS delivers a high number of packages for the Washington-based company per day.

The reasons for the looming showdown of a strike are financial and benefits. Last year, UPS recorded a record profit for a full year only 9 months into 2022. The world’s largest carrier company employs over 300,000 employees who are part of the Teamsters Labor Union. Their employees feel with record profit brought in by the company, they should have improved pay scale. They are also requesting for air conditioner to be added to their trucks, citing a safety issue.

Both sides have minimal time in between the contract end date and the renegotiation period. Nearly a year away, the threat of a strike and holdout should put many around the country on notice. Most American lives will be impacted if the threat of a strike turns out to happen, leaving many around the country with delayed shipments.