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UPS Shipping Q&A

What steps is HMI taking to ensure my shipments aren't interrupted?

What is the situation?

UPS and the Teamsters Union are in negotiation regarding the work contract between the parties.  The current contract agreement expires at midnight on July 31^st.  The two sides have currently not come to agreement. If there is no agreement, the Teamsters may opt to strike, resulting in a work stoppage. 

How likely is a strike?

While we cannot predict if a strike will occur, it is a possibility. Therefore, HMI believes taking a proactive and strategic approach to address the risk is appropriate. 

What is the impact if a strike occurs?

There is a potential that UPS will be forced to cease operations across many of their facilities. Without drivers to move packages between hubs, the flow of shipped and delivered packages will be severely reduced. HMI has put together a strategy to minimize any shipping delays.

What is HMI’s strategy to avoid any disruption to my shipments?

HMI will change from UPS to FedEx and United States Postal Service (USPS) beginning on July 25^th.  Anything shipped prior to the 25^th should be delivered within the continental U.S. or will have reached its foreign destination before any work stoppage.

Should we expect delays in shipments from these alternate carriers?

Overall, we expect both FedEx and USPS to deliver the same, consistent service that you’ve come to expect from UPS. Everyone realizes that both these carriers will assume the brunt of the U.S. based package movement during any UPS strike.  This may generate a slow start as they pick up new business from UPS customers. However, both carriers are preparing for the increased volume and expect to be able to meet the needs of the industry, should the need arise.

I rely on HMI to direct my shipments. Do I need to do anything?

No.  HMI will change carriers as necessary to ensure your packages arrive normally. You should not notice any change to the way shipments are delivered and billed.

I require HMI to ship via UPS on my collect account.  Do I need to do anything?

Yes.  You have a number of options available to you.  We ask that you work with your sales representative to determine the best course of action from the options below. 

• Provide a collect account from an alternate carrier of your choice.
• Authorize HMI to select an alternate carrier and bill you for the freight.
• Take no action and allow UPS to be your carrier of choice during this time. (NOT RECOMMENDED)

If you carry a collect account with UPS and would like to make changes to the shipping carrier listed to your account, please contact customer service at +1 408-271-2955 or via email at orders@highlandmetals.com.