Teamsters Seek Court Injunction to Block UPS Driver Choice Program Buyout

UPS FACES EMERGENCY COURT BID TO BLOCK DRIVER BUYOUT

Legal Push Targets ‘Driver Choice Program’ as Contract Breach

The Teamsters Union files an emergency motion in U.S. District Court in Massachusetts on Feb. 9, 2026, seeking a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction to block United Parcel Service’s planned rollout of a revised driver buyout called the Driver Choice Program (DCP). The union alleges at least six violations of the National Master Agreement and accuses UPS of conducting a second illegal buyout scheme after a similarly contested effort six months earlier. The filing claims UPS has ignored more than 57 requests for information since late January and accuses CEO Carol Tomé and other executives of negotiating behind closed doors.

At the heart of the dispute is the union’s contention that the DCP amounts to unlawful direct dealing with employees and a stripping of rights won in the 2023 national contract. The union says the program offers drivers a one-time lump-sum payment in exchange for legally committing never to work for UPS again, waiving union representation and surrendering employer-paid health care, guaranteed retirement benefits and union wages. Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien frames the move as an attempt to “inflate earnings on the backs of Teamsters families,” and demands UPS dismantle the program or face coordinated legal and street actions.

The Teamsters argue the DCP is broader and more aggressive than last summer’s Driver Voluntary Separation Program (DVSP), which targeted long-tenured drivers nearing retirement and was widely rejected. Union filings say the revised program would eliminate union jobs the company contractually agreed to create and erode shop steward rights, undercutting protections bargained for in 2023. Multiple Teamsters local unions have filed grievances challenging UPS’s actions, signaling coordinated legal and protest responses if the company proceeds with the DCP.

Union Mobilization and Worker Reaction

The union notes widespread worker backlash to the earlier DVSP, saying drivers publicly shredded and burned offered checks on social media, and local unions are preparing coordinated grievances and potential public protests. The emergency court filing seeks to stop UPS before the company begins offering the new buyouts this week.

Background and Next Steps

If the court hears the motion, the case could produce expedited discovery into the company’s communications and the alleged 57 information requests. The dispute adds to continuing tensions between UPS management and the Teamsters over post-contract implementation and workforce restructuring.