NEW YORK (AP) \u2014 The head of the Teamsters said Sunday that he has asked the White House not to intervene if unionized UPS workers end up going on strike.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Negotiations between the delivery company and the union representing 340,000 of its workers have been at a standstill for more than a week with a July 31 deadline for a new contract approaching fast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The union has threatened a strike if a deal is not reached by the time the collective bargaining agreement expires. Asked during a webcast with members Sunday on whether the White House could force a contract on the union, Teamsters President Sean O\u2019Brien said he has asked the White House on numerous occasions to stay away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMy neighborhood where I grew up in Boston, if two people had a disagreement and you had nothing to do with it \u2013 you just kept walking,\u201d O\u2019Brien said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t need anybody getting involved in this fight,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/a>The Teamsters represent more than half of the Atlanta-based company\u2019s workforce in the largest private-sector contract in North America. If a strike does happen, it would be the first since a 15-day walkout by 185,000 workers crippled the company a quarter century ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Before contract talks broke down, both sides had reached tentative agreements on several issues, including installing air conditioning in more trucks and getting rid of a two-tier wage system for drivers who work weekends and earn less money. A sticking point in negotiations is wage increases for part-time workers, who make a minimum of $16.20 an hour, according to UPS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Last week, UPS said it will temporarily begin training nonunion employees<\/u><\/a> in the U.S. to step in should there be a strike.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n