To help expedite the delivery of 28,000 air-conditioned vehicles under the current national contract, United Parcel Service (UPS) has signed a new letter of agreement with the UPS Teamsters National Negotiating Committee to begin retrofitting 5,000 package cars with air conditioning for the country's hottest delivery zone.

"The Teamsters Union appreciates UPS's recognition that our members in Zone 1 need real relief from the heat, and they need it now," said Teamsters General President Sean M. O'Brien. "The rank-and-file at UPS are essential workers who move the American economy. In 2023, the Teamsters secured historic heat protections for our members, and there can be no further delay in implementing these safeguards. We look forward to working with UPS to ensure this retrofitting is completed on schedule to get our members the relief they deserve."

The 5,000 package cars will be retrofitted with air conditioning by June 1, 2027, and dispatched to the Teamsters' hottest delivery areas, mainly in Southern and Southwest states. The first 2,000 vehicles readied under the agreement will be retrofitted by June 1, 2026.

The agreement also designates that 100 package cars will be upgraded with air conditioning vented into the cargo compartment under a new pilot program to evaluate strategies for greater heat relief. This is an evolution of UPS's commitment under the 2023 National Master Agreement to ventilate cargo compartments with retrofitted air ducts. The results of the pilot program will be reviewed by the joint Teamsters/UPS Package Car Heat Committee.

"Since our union ratified the National Master Agreement, the Teamsters heat committee has been working with UPS to study the best ways to retrofit vehicles for better ventilation. We are eager to start testing A/C in the cargo compartment, inarguably the hottest part of the package cars," said Karla Schumann, Secretary-Treasurer of Teamsters Local 104 in Phoenix, Ariz., and Chair of the Package Car Heat Committee. "This is a positive step for UPS to speed up the delivery of air-conditioned vehicles by utilizing retrofitting for our most affected members."

The retrofit of 5,000 package cars will help UPS fulfill its obligation under the current Teamsters contract to deliver 28,000 new vehicles equipped with air conditioning. Zone 1 applies to UPS Teamsters in Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Washington.