A UPS driver left internet users shocked by sharing their paycheck for 49 hours of work after the company reached a deal with a workers' union.
Teamsters union managed to reach a deal with UPS in summer to help remove the threat of a strike from workers, who were calling for increased pay, as well as heat safety protections.
The deal meant that both current full and part-time union workers received a $2.75 hourly pay increase this year, amounting to a $7.50 hourly increase through the duration of the contract.
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Pay for existing and starting part-time workers also saw an increase, raising to at least $21 an hour immediately before advancing to $23 per hour.
After the deal was secured, one UPS driver took to Reddit to show off the benefits of unionizing.
They shared a picture of their paycheck, dated from 27 August to 2 September, during which time they said they'd worked for 49 hours.
According to the slip, the driver received more than $2,400 before taxes across the seven days of work.
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Alongside the post, the Redditor wrote: "I’m a UPS delivery driver. I have nothing more than a high school diploma.
"If you’re college educated with experience in your field making less than I am, you’re getting f**ked. That’s just my opinion.
"I couldn’t believe it when one of my customers, who has a phd, told me I make more money than he does. How is this even possible?
"My union, the Teamsters. Organize or get exploited."
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The post sparked mixed responses from Reddit users, with many praising the success of the union for negotiating the deal while others called for more transparency in wages.
"The working world could use more transparency like this," one person began. "If it weren't for a friend telling me (and showing me the offer letter), I wouldn't have known manufacturing spots in the Phoenix area were hiring at $45+/hour for lower level maintenance positions...
"The more wage/salary info is out there for the public to see, the more fair the market will be."
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Another Reddit user, who does social work, responded to the post to say she has 'two master’s degrees, the highest level of a professional license, an additional national certification in my specialty and another certification that separates me from the competition', however she 'doesn't break six figures'.
Meanwhile, her husband who works in construction and 'barely has a high school diploma' makes 'double' what she does.
"If young people would consider learning a trade (construction, electrician, plumber, iron worker, millwork, tile work, stonework, etc.) you will make more money you could ever make in a generic ‘profession',” the user wrote.
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Another user added: "Bruh, I make less than you as an aerospace engineer."
Under the original post, the UPS driver added a comment to say they'd worked at the company for five years as a driver, and for two as a package handler before that.
They also said that though the pay is good, they go home 'exhausted' every night.
Emily Brown