How Does Seniority Work for UPS Package Car Bids?

If you're a UPS Teamster trying to land a better route, move to a preferred shift, or protect your job during a layoff, seniority is the single most important number you have. This guide explains how seniority governs package car bids, job postings, layoffs, and transfers — and highlights where your local supplement or rider may change the national rules.

What Is Seniority and When Does It Begin?

Seniority is your place in the pecking order, measured from your first qualifying day of work. How long you must work before you earn seniority differs by region and supplement:

• Western Region: A new part-time employee attains seniority after working 70 days within a six-consecutive-month period. Upon completing that period, the seniority date reverts back to the first day worked within that six-month window. Western Region of Teamsters UPS Supplemental Agreement 2023-2028, p. 6 ^[2]
• Local 705 (Chicago area): Seniority is earned after 40 working days within a 90-consecutive-day period. Again, the seniority date reverts to the first day of that 40-day qualifying period. Article 22.3, Section 44.2 ^[6]
• Kentucky Rider centers (outside Bowling Green/Paducah/Owensboro/Madisonville/Hopkinsville): Seniority is broken only by discharge for just cause, voluntary resignation, or a layoff lasting more than two years. Article 3, Section 1 ^[1]

Once you have a seniority date, that date follows you and determines your priority for bids, layoffs, recalls, and benefits.

General info: UPS Teamsters typically carry two distinct seniority clocks — company seniority (your total time at UPS, used for benefits, vacations, and layoff protection across the company) and classification seniority or center seniority (your time in a specific job classification or building, used for most day-to-day bid decisions). Your supplement will specify which clock governs which decisions.

Seniority Lists: Your Right to See Them

You have a contractual right to an accurate, up-to-date seniority list, and the company must post it.

• Kentucky Rider: A list arranged by seniority and hiring date must be posted in a conspicuous place at each center and updated at least every three months (90 days). Article 3, Section 1 ^[1]; Article shall, Section 2 ^[3]
• Western Region: The employer must furnish the Local Union a complete copy of each seniority list once per quarter and post the lists where employees can easily see them. Lists must reflect terminations, transfers, and new hires and must include a verifiable time and date of posting. If you believe your date is wrong, you can file a timely grievance. Western Region of Teamsters UPS Supplemental Agreement 2023-2028, p. 6 ^[2]; Article 5, Section 3 ^[4]
• Local 705: A current list must be posted quarterly at each center, and copies go to the Union on the first working day of each calendar quarter. Article 22.3, Section 44.2 ^[6]

If the list looks wrong, don't wait — file a grievance promptly, because there are time limits.

How Package Car Bids Actually Work

When a permanent job opening or a newly established route needs to be filled, the contract requires it to be posted and awarded by seniority. The highest-ranking eligible employee in the relevant classification gets first pick — not whoever has been driving in that area the longest. ^[12]

Kentucky Rider Centers

• Permanent vacancies in an existing center must first be offered to employees in that center, in seniority order. Article 3, Section 1 ^[1]
• Once posted, the opening passes through the center's classification seniority list. After an employee is awarded a bid, they cannot bid again for six months. Article shall, Section 2 ^[3]
• The bidding "chain" is capped at three total moves — the original opening plus two others created by the shuffle. Article shall, Section 2 ^[3]
• A new permanent job is defined as one that has been in existence for 30 working days. Article shall, Section 2 ^[3]
• Feeder and spotter jobs are bid on March 1 of each year by classification seniority; new permanent feeder routes that emerge mid-year are also posted for bid within the center. Article shall, Section 2 ^[3]
• Any new delivery area or feeder route created between November 1 and December 31 is treated as temporary and is not posted for bid. If it still exists after December 31, it must then be posted. Kentucky Rider to the Central Region Supplemental Agreement 2023-2028, p. 8 ^[8]

Western Region

• A driver on leave of absence or vacation when a bid is posted cannot be stripped of the right to bid; they must be given the opportunity to submit a bid within the defined bidding period. It is the driver's responsibility to have their steward or another person notify them of openings. Article 5, Section 3 ^[4]; Western Region of Teamsters UPS Supplemental Agreement 2023-2028, p. 11 ^[11]
• When a driver's bid delivery area is temporarily changed on a given day by 50% or more of its stops, that driver may: (1) follow the major portion of the stops if seniority allows, (2) work as an unassigned driver with seniority rights recognized, or (3) take the day off if staffing allows. Western Region of Teamsters UPS Supplemental Agreement 2023-2028, p. 11 ^[11]
• Package car transfers between buildings within the Western Region require one year of package car driver seniority at the time of transfer. Drivers sign a transfer list in October, a Master Transfer Roster is compiled by December 1, and transfers take effect January 2 of the following year. Southwest Package Rider & Southwest Sort Rider 2023-2028, p. 19 ^[10]

Southwest Rider (Full-Time Combination Jobs)

• Newly established or permanently vacated full-time combination jobs must be posted within five days and remain open for bidding for five working days. Southwest Package Rider & Southwest Sort Rider 2023-2028, p. 50 ^[5]
• Bidding priority goes: (1) existing full-time combination employees by seniority; (2) full-time package car drivers with at least 15 years of company seniority who are on a special request list; (3) part-time employees on the part-time-to-full-time list in company seniority order. Southwest Package Rider & Southwest Sort Rider 2023-2028, p. 50 ^[5]
• The successful bidder, if already qualified, is awarded the vacancy on the Monday following the five-day posting period. Southwest Package Rider & Southwest Sort Rider 2023-2028, p. 50 ^[5]

Local 705 (Chicago Area)

• Full-time drivers receive job-selection priority by company seniority within their classification. Article 22.3, Section 44.2 ^[6]
• Part-time employees must be given the opportunity to fill full-time jobs on a six-for-one basis (six part-time promotions for every one outside hire) in all months except November and December. Article 22.3, Section 22.4 ^[9]

Part-Time Preferred Job Bids

Part-time employees also use seniority to move to better shifts and preferred jobs (preload, sorter, clerical, carwasher, loader, unloader, etc.):

• National Master / Local 705: Part-timers with six months or more of seniority may place their names on a preferred-job list within their building. No more than 25% of employees on a shift may change shifts in any calendar year, and the employee must stay on the new shift for at least six months. Article 22 ^[7]; Article 22.3, Section 22.4 ^[9]
• Western Region: Part-time seniority employees may select permanent vacancies and new permanent jobs on any shift in the same building in all months except December. Western Region of Teamsters UPS Supplemental Agreement 2023-2028, p. 11 ^[11]

Trial Periods After Winning a Bid

Winning the bid doesn't mean the job is yours forever on day one. The contract builds in a trial period:

• Package car driver (Western Region): A part-timer transferring to full-time has a 30-working-day trial period to qualify, with up to 10 additional days if time is spent in classroom training, for a maximum of 40 working days. Western Region of Teamsters UPS Supplemental Agreement 2023-2028, p. 6 ^[2]
• Kentucky Rider: An employee moved to a new job gets a fair trial of up to 30 calendar days at the rate of that job. If found unqualified at the end of the trial, the employee returns to their old position at their former rate of pay with their old classification seniority intact. Article shall, Section 2 ^[3]
• Kentucky Rider: When applying seniority for layoff, recall, and job assignment, an employee must be — or must be able to prove they can become — qualified within a reasonable time not to exceed 30 working days. Article 3, Section 1 ^[1]

Layoffs, Bumping, and Recall Rights

Seniority also protects you when volume drops and the company reduces its workforce.

• Kentucky Rider: When laid off, a displaced employee may take the job of a less-senior employee. That is the "original move." Three additional moves are then allowed if needed; after the original plus three others, the displaced employee must go to the most junior person in their pay classification or a lower pay classification. Kentucky Rider to the Central Region Supplemental Agreement 2023-2028, p. 8 ^[8]
• Kentucky Rider: A seniority employee laid off from one center must be offered employment at another center where work is available, but only if the layoff lasts 10 or more working days. Center seniority in the new location starts fresh; the employee retains original center seniority rights if recalled within two years. Article 3, Section 1 ^[1]
• Local 705 — Full-time package car drivers: A laid-off driver may exercise company seniority to displace the least-senior package car driver in the same classification anywhere in Local 705's jurisdiction, effective the following Monday. Article 22.3, Section 44.2 ^[6]
• Local 705 — Combination employees: A laid-off Article 22.3 employee may first displace the least-senior 22.3 employee at their location; if that is not possible, they may bump the least-senior 22.3 employee in the district. No combination employee may be laid off while a part-timer is scheduled to do that work. Article 22.3, Section 44.2 ^[6]
• Local 705 — Alternative to bumping: A full-time employee may instead elect to work the shifts of the two least-senior part-timers in the building, with a guaranteed minimum of eight hours of work. Article 22.3, Section 44.2 ^[6]
• Western Region — Recall: Seniority is terminated if a laid-off employee fails to return to work within 72 hours of receiving a certified recall letter mailed to their last known address. Article 5, Section 3 ^[4]
• Kentucky Rider — Recall: A laid-off employee must be given two weeks' notice by registered mail. Failure to report within two weeks results in loss of all seniority rights. Article 3, Section 1 ^[1]

When Center Seniority and Company Seniority Diverge

Understanding which clock applies can be the difference between keeping your job and losing your spot:

• Kentucky Rider: Center seniority governs work assignments at all times. If the company abolishes an entire center, affected employees may use company seniority to attach to a new center with their seniority dovetailed in. Article 3, Section 1 ^[1]
• Voluntary transfer: An employee who voluntarily transfers to another center goes to the bottom of the classification seniority list at the new center for layoff purposes but retains company seniority for fringe benefits. Article shall, Section 2 ^[3]
• Classification change: An employee who voluntarily moves to a different classification also goes to the bottom of seniority in the new classification but keeps company seniority for layoff, vacation, and benefits. Article shall, Section 2 ^[3]

Generally speaking, this distinction — center/classification seniority for bids vs. company seniority for benefits — is a widespread feature of Teamster UPS contracts nationwide, though specific rules vary by supplement and rider.

Key Regional Variations at a Glance

Region / Local	Probation Period	Posting Frequency	Key Bid Rule
Kentucky Rider	Not specified in excerpt	Every 90 days [1]	3 additional moves after original bump [8]
Western Region	70 days / 6 months (part-time) [2]	Quarterly [4]	Transfer list in October; effective Jan 2 [10]
Southwest Rider	Not specified in excerpt	Within 5 days of vacancy [5]	15-yr drivers get second crack at combo jobs [5]
Local 705	40 days / 90 days [6]	Quarterly [6]	6-for-1 part-time-to-full-time ratio [9]

What to Do Next

Seniority rules are among the most frequently grieved issues in the building. If you believe you were skipped on a bid, bumped out of turn, or given an incorrect seniority date, act quickly — grievance time limits are strict. Talk to your shop steward right away, pull a copy of the posted seniority list, and document the timeline of events. You can also ask TeamstersGPT a follow-up question with your specific supplement or rider selected to get language that applies directly to your situation.