Area business owners voice concerns over potential UPS strike

 

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Local business owners are closely watching the UPS situation unfold as they wonder how a strike could affect their bottom line. 

The hospitality industry had a rough go of it during the pandemic -- finally now on more solid ground, they certainly don't want anything to stop their progress. Some fear a UPS strike might.

Gabe Kolesari's celebrating one year at The Kitchen in Sussex, where staff is like family to him. 

"I'm the grandfather, so if you got any problems, you come to me and I'll -- I just tell them, you tell me what you need, I'll go out and get it," said Kolesari, owner of The Kitchen. 

It's a local farm-to-table kind of restaurant, but kitchen supplies are purchased online. 

"Once they scratch, they're no good anymore. If a frying pan isn't cooking right, the customer isn't gonna be happy," said Kolesari.

Kolesari just ordered 16 new frying pans. 

"I hope they don't go out on strike, because that could affect my business," he said. 

In Milwaukee, restaurant developer Omar Shaikh's got concerns too. 

"Obviously the food is not coming from there, but a lot of the office supplies," said Shaikh, owner of Carnivore and co-owner of 3rd Street Market Hall. 

Shaikh places online orders several times a week, and a UPS strike could slow things down.

"Hopefully they resolve this thing very quickly, right. It's not a positive thing, and we're just gonna have to pivot from there, so we'll figure that out when the time comes. But I certainly hope that that doesn't happen," said Shaikh.

UPS is trying to train non-union workers should a strike happen, but industry experts are skeptical they could keep up. The current demand's at 24 million packages a day. The last UPS strike, in the 90s, had a big impact on travel agencies. 

"It was a big fiasco back 25 years ago. I can only imagine with this passport situation, it could be just as bad," said Rose Gray, business relationship director at Fox World Travel. 

Passport processing times are already slow -- 13 weeks for a new passport and up to nine weeks to renew an old one. A UPS strike could make that even worse. 

"So, we're telling people if you don't have your passport and you're planning an international trip, certainly pay for the expedited service, but again, that may involve a UPS truck," said Gray.