Want to Make $170,000? Deliver for UPS

Their new contract pays them twice what I thought it would

Bernard
3 min readAug 12, 2023
Photo by the author via Clipdrop

In a remarkable departure from conventional middle-class earnings, UPS drivers have catapulted their annual salaries to an impressive $170,000, showcasing a substantial shift in income potential within the transportation sector.

According to CNBC, drivers will average $170,000 in pay and benefits such as health care and pensions at the end of a five-year contract that the delivery giant struck with the Teamsters Union last month, averting a strike.

The tentative agreement covers some 340,000 workers at the package carrier. They are in the middle of a ratification vote that began Thursday and ends Aug. 22.

This surge in compensation not only reflects the changing dynamics of the job market but also challenges traditional notions of middle-class remuneration.

The days of considering $170,000 as an exorbitant income achievable only in elite professions are waning, as UPS drivers shatter such perceptions.

Historically, middle-class jobs have been associated with moderate pay scales, often hovering around the $50,000 to $70,000 range. However, UPS has defied this norm by redefining the earnings landscape for its drivers.

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Bernard

A married father of two adult children and a Morkie. Long-time economic developer, former P.O., avid reader, thinker, investor, and walker.