The United States Postal Service (USPS) has ended its partnership with UPS SurePost as the contract between the two entities expired this year. This means USPS workers will no longer deliver UPS SurePost packages.
The declaration regarding the expiration of the contract was made by the union representing the UPS delivery drivers in a Facebook post last week.
“We must never miss an opportunity to remind UPS that the well-being of our members and hardworking UPS employees always come before the advancements or convenience of any new technology,” Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien O’Brien said in the post.
“The Teamsters Union will always be monitoring any steps UPS is taking to introduce new technologies at the company, and UPS needs to remember it has a legal and contractual obligation to retrain our members whenever a change in technology or automation is pursued.”
The cessation of the contract will likely affect the USPS-UPS SurePost package delivery procedures. However, UPS is yet to inform on how they plan to adapt their delivery process or what alternative methods they will use to deliver these packages, reported The USA Today.
However, the contract expiration should reduce the transit time of SurePost packages, which could be delivered possibly a day earlier.
“SurePost is a dependable economy service for less urgent packages offered by UPS to business shippers… UPS now handles SurePost packages door-to-door entirely within our own network, with the reliability we’re known for,” UPS spokesperson Jim Mayer told USA Today in a statement.
The U.S. Postal Service played a crucial role in delivering UPS shipments before the agreement ended. USPS, being the only carrier authorized to deliver to post office boxes, Army posts, and Navy fleets, the postal service was held in high regard.
UPS-USPS contract expiring would mean U.S. Territories, Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico will no longer receive services. Additionally, SurePost will no longer handle delivery to PO Boxes and Military APO/FPO locations, however, other UPS services will still be accessible in these areas.
Other UPS delivery services, such as Ground, Second Day Air and Next Day Air, will continue to be available for people in U.S. Territories, Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico, according to a report on Supply Chain Dive.
Consumers with SurePost packages in transit to a PO box can be redirected to a street address by signing up for UPS MyChoice.
Read More: USPS, UPS SurePost Contract Ends: What It Means For Your Packages
