(Detroit, MI) – International Brotherhood of Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa helped kick off negotiations today for the national UPS contract that covers more than 215,000 union members nationwide, the largest private-sector labor agreement in the United States.

“Our members have told us that protecting pensions and health care are their top priorities,” Hoffa said. “We will tackle these critical issues before addressing other key issues such as work rules, safety and wages.”

Hoffa serves as co-chairman of the union’s UPS National Negotiating Committee, along with Ken Hall, Director of the union’s Parcel and Small Package Division.

“Our members know that they cannot count on the government to solve the pension and health care crises in the United States,” Hall said. “We must address these issues at the bargaining table, and we will do that.”

The national UPS contract expires on August 1, 2008.

Hoffa and Hall said they are confident the union will be able to negotiate a contract that protects its members while allowing UPS to grow. However, they made it clear that the union needs to guarantee that its members’ pensions and health care are protected.

“Our members’ interests are paramount—we will only accept an agreement that builds on our past achievements at the bargaining table,” Hoffa said.

Founded in 1903, the Teamsters Union represents more than 1.4 million hardworking men and women in the United States and Canada.