UPS workers attend Saturday rally to discuss possible strike if negotiations fail

ATLANTA - There's just 8 days left for UPS to come to an agreement with its employees.

Until then, members of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters continue to practice their picket line, hoping they won't have to do the real thing next month.

Employees say they are prepared to walk off the job if that's what it takes to get better wages and working conditions.

Hundreds of those employees gathered on Saturday in Atlanta for a rally.

Sean O'Brien, general president of the union, says his team is ready to "go to war" for what they believe if needed.

For employee Matt Hudgens, who has been with the company for 17 years, he wants better treatment for his "brothers" and "sisters."

Delivery and warehouse workers want a new 5-year agreement that guarantees better pay, increases the number of full-time jobs, and addresses safety and health concerns. Especially in the heat.

The current contract expires July 31.

Negotiations are set to resume on Tuesday in Washington, D.C.

TEAMSTERS, UPS TO RESUME NEGOTIATIONS NEXT WEEK AS CONTRACT DEADLINE APPROACHES 

The union represents more than 340,000 UPS workers across the nation. UPS is based in Sandy Springs.

UPS says it is pleased to go back and "resolve the few remaining open issues."

Both sides have reached tentative agreements on several issues, including installing air conditioning in more trucks and getting rid of a two-tier wage system for drivers who work weekends and earn less money. A sticking point in negotiations has been wage increases for part-time workers.

If a strike does happen, it would be the first since a roughly two-week walkout by 185,000 workers crippled the company a quarter-century ago.