Can UPS Teamsters Transfer Centers? Education, Hardship & More

Whether you want to move closer to home, follow a college program, or escape a difficult commute, the question of whether you can transfer to another UPS building is one of the most common — and most misunderstood — issues in the contract. The answer is: yes, but the rules depend on your classification, your supplement, and your reason for requesting the transfer. Here is a plain-language breakdown of what the 2023–2028 contract actually says.

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The National Master Agreement: The Foundation for All Transfers

The National Master UPS Agreement sets baseline transfer rights that apply everywhere, but your supplement, rider, or addendum can add to — or modify — those baseline rules.

Part-Time Employee Transfers (National Rules)

The clearest national-level transfer language covers part-time employees. Under Article 22, Section 6, two distinct pathways exist ^[3]:

1. Educational Transfers

• A part-time employee who wishes to transfer to another location for educational purposes may submit a written request to the Employer.
• There is no minimum-miles requirement for educational transfers.

2. Non-Educational Transfers

• Part-time employees may also request a transfer for non-educational reasons, but only if the two facilities are more than 50 miles apart ^[3].

Both types are subject to the same conditions ^[3]:

• A part-time opening must exist at the desired location.
• You must have attained seniority and been employed by UPS for at least one (1) year.
• Your job classification seniority will be end-tailed (you go to the bottom of that seniority list at the new location).
• Your company seniority is retained for calculating vacation weeks and holidays under the applicable supplement at the new location.
• Moving and other expenses are your responsibility — UPS does not pay for your relocation.
• It is your responsibility to verify all benefits (medical, dental, vision, retiree medical, pension) at the requested location — they may differ significantly ^[3].
• The Employer must notify the Local Union with jurisdiction over the new location that you have been transferred there ^[3].

Key takeaway: If you are a part-time employee, educational transfers are the most accessible pathway nationally. Non-educational transfers require the 50-mile gap and the same eligibility conditions.

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Geographic (Building-to-Building) Transfers for Full-Time Employees

For full-time employees, geographic transfer rights are primarily governed at the supplement or rider level, not the national master. Here is how the major supplements handle it.

Western Region (Including the Southwest Package Rider)

The Western Region of Teamsters UPS Supplemental Agreement contains some of the most detailed transfer language in the country. Its provisions supersede all other building-to-building transfer language for Local Unions signatory to this agreement ^[10].

Package Car Drivers — Key Steps ^{[10] [9]}:

• You must have at least one (1) year of seniority at the time of transfer (though you can add your name to the roster before reaching one year).
• In October of each year, a transfer list is posted at each center, effective January 2nd of the following year.
• You may select up to four (4) buildings when requesting a transfer.
• By December 1st, all lists are combined into a Master Transfer Roster, ranked by package car driver seniority. A copy goes to all signatory Local Unions.
• You have 24 hours to accept or reject a transfer offer in writing. Failing to respond removes you from the list ^[9].
• Part-time employees have the right to fill full-time positions within their Local Union jurisdiction on a 6-for-1 basis before transfers from the Master Roster are accepted — meaning six internal vacancies are filled for every one transfer slot ^[9].

Feeder Drivers — Western Region: Feeder drivers with one (1) year of seniority have the right to transfer under a separate paragraph (paragraph 11) of the same agreement ^[10].

Health Care Warning for Western Region Transfers: If you are moving from a Company-administered health plan area to a Taft-Hartley Trust Fund area, you will need to satisfy new eligibility requirements and may have a gap in coverage. You will receive a COBRA notice — but COBRA payments are your responsibility. Contact both the Local you are leaving and the Local you are transferring to before you finalize anything ^[10].

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Local 804 (New York — Nassau, Suffolk, Queens, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Bronx, Westchester, Putnam)

Under the Local 804 Supplemental Agreement, transfers between operating centers are available within those specific counties ^[1]:

• Requests are made by seniority from a Union-maintained transfer list.
• New transfer lists are established within 45 days of contract ratification; existing lists are honored until exhausted.
• The total number of transfers from any one building cannot exceed 8% annually, unless both parties mutually agree otherwise.
• Full-time inside 22.2 and 22.3 employees may only transfer to a Hub building.
• There is a 30 working-day probationary period. During that time, either party (employee or Company) may request a return to the origin center with 10 working days' notice ^[1].
• The Company may fill one permanent vacancy for every three (3) employees transferred into a center ^[1].

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Local 177 (New Jersey/Mid-Atlantic)

Article 45, Section 4 of the Local 177 Driver Supplemental Agreement provides ^[2]:

• Transfers within classification may be requested to any operating center or hub in the Local's jurisdiction, granted in seniority order.
• A transfer list is maintained; employees are notified within 15 working days of their transfer status.
• No transfers are honored during the month of December.
• Candidates must generally have at least six (6) months of service, except in special hardship cases.
• There is a 20 calendar-day probationary period for transferred employees (within or outside classification).
• Employees transferring to a non-driving classification may waive the probationary period in writing ^[2].
• Permanent package driver vacancies are filled on a 2-1-2-1 basis: two package-to-package, one full-time transfer, two part-time transfers (within district), one new hire ^[2].

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Northern California Supplement

Under Article 3, Section 6 of the Northern California Supplemental Agreement ^[4]:

• Transfers are available only within the area covered by the Northern California Supplemental Agreement.
• There is a hard cap: only two (2) part-time employees per year per destination facility may transfer under this provision.
• Employees retain company seniority for fringe benefits but are placed at the bottom of the seniority list at the new location.
• As with the national master, it is your responsibility to verify all benefits — medical, dental, vision, pension — which may vary significantly by location and state ^[4].

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Southwest Package Rider (Local 104 / Arizona area)

Full-Time Transfers (Non-Driver): The Southwest Package Rider establishes a structured annual process for full-time non-driver, non-feeder employees ^[5]:

• On the first working day in November, a transfer list is posted at each center.
• Interested employees sign the list, designating the building they want.
• By January 1st, all lists are combined into one master roster by seniority.
• Transfers are made in seniority order, provided the employee has a good work record.
• If you reject a transfer offer, you are ineligible for future transfers to that rejected building for the remainder of that year ^[5].

Part-Time Transfers from Sky Harbor Airport (Phoenix): Part-time employees with one (1) year of seniority at the Sky Harbor Airport facility may transfer (in seniority order) to the Tempe, Mesa, Estrella, Goodyear, or Phoenix facilities to fill vacancies before outside hiring ^[6]:

• Maximum of one (1) employee per week may exercise this privilege.
• No more than 25% of the total workforce per shift in any one year may transfer under this provision.
• Transferring employees retain company seniority for wages and fringe benefits but go to the bottom of the center seniority list for bidding, layoff/recall, and vacation selection.
• No transfers during peak season ^[6].

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Hardship Transfers

Several supplements include hardship transfer language as a special exception to the standard geographic transfer rules.

• Under the Local 804 Supplement, when the Company and the Union mutually agree that a hardship exists, arrangements shall be made to allow that employee to transfer — even outside the normal process ^[1].
• Under the Local 177 Driver Supplement, candidates for transfer normally need at least six months of service, but special hardship cases are an exception to that minimum ^[2].
• Under the Northern California Supplement, Article 3, Section 6 addresses facility closures and the right to follow work — and the parties may make hardship arrangements on a case-by-case basis ^[4].

Important note: Hardship transfer rights under your UPS contract are not the same as student/school hardship transfers, which are a separate concept used by public school districts. The web sources retrieved ^{[11][12][13][14][15]} relate exclusively to student school enrollment hardship transfers and have no application to UPS employment transfers.

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Center Closures and Change of Operations: A Special Category

If UPS closes or partially closes a center, different rules apply — and they are more protective of employees.

Under Article 38 of the National Master Agreement ^[7][8]:

• Whenever a center is closed and work is transferred or absorbed by another center, affected employees are entitled to follow their work, and their seniority will be dovetailed at the new center.
• If you choose not to follow the work, you may exercise your seniority at your present center and displace the least-senior employee in your classification.
• A Joint Change of Operations Committee (regional and national level) resolves disputes about seniority application, health and welfare coverage, and pension questions for affected employees ^[7].
• The Committee's decision is final and binding, and it retains jurisdiction for 12 months following the change of operations decision ^[7].

Under the Northern California Supplement, the same principle applies: employees affected by a center closure may follow the work with dovetailed seniority, or the work may be offered to remaining employees in seniority order ^[4].

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Seniority Implications: What You Stand to Lose (and Keep)

This is the most critical practical consideration in any transfer:

What Happens	National Master [3]	Western Region [10]	Local 804 [1]	N. California [4]
Company seniority for benefits	Retained	Varies by situation	Retained	Retained
Classification/center seniority	End-tailed	Per supplement	Probationary period	Bottom of list
Expenses	Employee's responsibility	Employee's responsibility	N/A	Employee's responsibility

Generally speaking, the pattern across all supplements is consistent: you keep your company seniority for benefits (vacation, holidays), but you go to the back of the line at the new location for bidding, layoffs, and shift selection. Always confirm the exact rules with your Local Union before submitting a transfer request.

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What to Do Next

Transfer rules are among the most locally variable provisions in the entire UPS contract. Before you submit any transfer request:

1. Talk to your steward or Local Union to confirm exactly which supplement, rider, or addendum governs your situation.
2. Verify your benefits (health care, pension, vision, dental) at the destination location — differences can be significant and the contract places that responsibility squarely on you ^[3][4].
3. Get your request in writing and keep a copy. Most supplements require a written transfer request on file.
4. Know the calendar — many supplements have annual sign-up windows (October/November) and blackout periods (December under Local 177 ^[2]; peak season under the Southwest Rider ^[6]).
5. Ask TeamstersGPT with your specific supplement selected for more targeted guidance on your local transfer rules.