Two-hundred and fifty workers have been re-hired by UPS after public criticism over firing them for participating in a 90-minute strike in February, the company told Business Insider on Wednesday.
The massive firing grabbed national headlines and caused public uproar, which we reported on last week.
On Feb. 26, UPS employees were fired when they protested the dismissal of one of their coworkers, Jairo Reyes.
After a meeting with union officials, the workers were given back their jobs as part of an agreement reached on Wednesday, Business Insider reported.
"The 250 UPS employees involved in the walkout who were terminated for their actions will have their terminations reduced to a two week suspension without pay for each participant," UPS spokesman Steve Gaut told Business Insider in an email. "UPS has chosen to settle the matter in order to return to normal operations at the site."
Teamsters Local 804, the branch of the union representing the workers, will compensate UPS for damages associated with the Feb. 26 walkout as part of the agreement, Gaut said.
In the agreement, it was also acknowledged by union officials that the strike was "illegal and unauthorized and will undertake other actions within the bargaining unit to correct the situation," he said.
However, the claim is disputed by the union, Business Insider reported.
"The work stoppage on Feb. 26 was legal and permitted under the union contract with UPS," a Teamsters Local 804 spokesman told Business Insider. "Under the agreement reached with UPS, Local 804 acknowledges that the union's internal procedures for authorizing a strike were not properly followed on Feb. 26 and we have agreed to communicate the proper procedure to all union members."
Reyes' discharge will be reduced to a suspension without pay for the period from Feb. 26 until he returns to work, as part of the settlement reached on Wednesday.
"We're looking forward to turning the corner and getting on a new road with UPS," Teamsters Local 804 President Tim Sylvester said. "The drivers delivered their message to UPS about unfair treatment. Now every one of them will be back delivering packages."
The resolution was termed as a victory by a group advocating for the fired workers, Business Insider reported.
"After several weeks of sustained worker and community pressure, UPS has reversed the firing, and all 250 workers, including Jairo, are getting their jobs back," Joe Dinkin of The Working Families Party told Business Insider in an email. "This is huge news. And it proves that even in an economy where the power of employers over workers is stronger than ever, when workers stand together, they can still win."
