OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — Nic Bianchi is the 20-year-old CEO of the rapidly growing Bianchi Candle Co., much of it poured right here in Nebraska.
He was 12 years old when he got a candle-making kit for Christmas, and he's been all-in on candles ever since. He soon began selling at craft shows.
Now, though, his business relies on UPS, shipping candles across the country and internationally.
"That is our main source of shipping right now," he said. "They have the best rates and the fastest times ... We've become very close with our ups driver, we absolutely love him and he takes care of us."
Now though, a UPS strike looms. This would disrupt the company's operations.
According to an estimate, 30% of all packages shipped in the U.S. would be impacted by a strike.
UPS says it's training non-union employees in case of a strike, but 340,000 UPS workers are part of the Teamsters Union. Additionally, 3,300 UPS pilots represented by a different union would join in on the strike.
It would be the largest strike the country has seen in 60 years. The existing contract between Teamsters and UPS expires at the end of the month.
"The hard part is it would ultimately cause all rates to go up," Bianchi said, "Which would have to be carried over to the retailers, then prices would go up. And that's not helpful with all the inflation going on right now."
Teamsters' main demands are better pay, especially for part-timers, and an end to forced overtime on off days.
Teamsters have asked the White House not to get involved, though the government has no official control here under the Railway Labor Act.
The two sides haven't been talking for weeks, but they plan to sit down next week. UPS is pushing for a tentative agreement by the deadline.
"We hope they can reach they can reach an agreement that both parties appreciate," Bianchi said, "then they can kinda keep everything moving."
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