The news coming from both camps of the contract talks between United Parcel Service and International Brotherhood of Teamsters is not good. The two parties are at a standoff in negotiations for a new contract, with each side accusing the other of either walking out or not negotiating in good faith. As the current contract is set to expire at the end of the month, all signs point to a walkout and protracted strike.
The last time this happened was in 1997 – that strike lasted 15 days and caused significant supply chain disruptions and delays. What can you do to be prepared if that happens again?
General Data is prepared. Our primary freight carrier is FedEx and has been for some time. Because of this we do not anticipate major disruptions in our order fulfillment, should the strike become a reality. However, the chaos of this situation will have ripple effects for all carriers and the entire freight industry, and those ramifications are difficult to predict. If you work with other vendors that currently use UPS as their primary carrier, they will be severely impacted. During the last UPS strike, FedEx was stretched to capacity and had to limit current customers to only a 10% increase in volume as well as stop accepting new customers. So, it is not possible for every shipper to simply move their business to other freight carriers.
For General Data customers, we would encourage you to consider increasing your order quantities now to build a buffer that you can fall back on in case these disruptions begin to affect you. A little preparation now can prevent potential business disruptions and unhappy customers before they happen.
For General Data customers, we would encourage you to consider increasing your order quantities now to build a buffer that you can fall back on in case these disruptions begin to affect you.
In addition, keep in mind that General Data’s stock label program offers generous order quantity discounts – the more you order, the more you save! So, you can also take advantage of better pricing and save money while preparing for this potential strike.
As always, thank you for your continued business – your satisfaction and success are always our top priority. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to your General Data Account Manager.
