United Parcel Service Research Articles

Operations Research Improves the Efficiency of United Parcel Service

With today's increasingly fierce commercial competition, logistics companies must optimize their own operating strategies if they want to win and get development in the cruel competition. And if they want to optimize their operating strategies, they naturally cannot do without the help of operations research. This report will rely on data obtained from the Internet and use data analysis methods to explore the impact of operations research on United Parcel Service, including: Route optimization, Resource allocation, Inventory management, and Customer service. Operations research enables United Parcel Service to increase revenue year by year in the fiercely competitive market while maintaining high customer satisfaction. Overall, this report will show how operations research can help with United Parcel Service by analyzing the data of United Parcel Service revenue and income from 2009 to 2021, Number of United Parcel Service employees from 2013 to 2021 and American Consumer Shipping Companies Customer Satisfaction Index scores from 2017 to 2023.

Primed for growth: Amazon Air's freighter fleet, flight activity, and payload capacity compared to FedEx and UPS

This article measures the growing scale and geographic scope of Amazon Air, a wholly owned subsidiary of the retailing giant Amazon, between May 2020, near the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and September 2022. It evaluates data on Amazon Air's evolving flight operations and compares its payload capacity with FedEx Express and United Parcel Service (UPS), both prominent air-cargo integrators focused heavily on retail package delivery. It reviews the technical specifications of the 21 types of planes in their fleets to assess their growth rates.The number of airports served by Amazon Air grew from 25 to 67, while the percentage of the U.S. population within 100 miles of one of its airports increased from 54% to 73% during the study period. Its planes' maximum payload (tonnage) capacity grew by 108.8%. Amazon Air grew from 7.5% to 14.6% of FedEx's capacity and from 11.2% to 20.0% of UPS's capacity. Its cubic volume of capacity grew at an even faster pace relative to these other providers. Such growth was apparently fueled by e-commerce's growing share of retail trade, Amazon's desire to bring more of its shipping “in-house,” and a need to better control its supply chain.

Teamsters Local Unlawfully Threaten Employee

As part of any union campaign, it is important for employees to be advised as to exactly who are the representatives that are being asked to speak for them. On occasion, those representatives may not necessarily have the best interests of the employees at heart. One such example is found in International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Local 70 (United Parcel Service), 372 NLRB No. 198 (2022), in which the NLRB recently found a union representative to have unlawfully threatened an employee.

Endogenous transport costs and international trade

AbstractIn this paper, we model a manufacturing and a transport sector and use export volumes to determine the demand for transport services. If trade exceeds a particular level, transport service suppliers maximise profit by investing in an advanced transport technology, which lowers their marginal costs and reduces equilibrium transport prices. Transport costs thus vary according to two characteristics: the distance between two locations and the endogenous firm decision to invest in transportation. A simulation exercise reveals that ignoring the effect of the investment decision on transport costs biases empirical results. We apply this insight in our empirical estimations which rely on repeatedly collected transport price data from the United Parcel Service. We use an instrumental variable estimator to account for the endogeneity of the investment decision. Our estimation results confirm that transport prices are influenced by both the distance and the level of exports between two countries. We find that trading partners with 10% more exports enjoy on average 0.6% lower transport prices.

“Least Favored Nation”: Pregnancy Discrimination Disparate Impact Claims Post-Young

This Article analyzes disparate impact claims under the Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA) in light of the Supreme Court’s decision in Young v. United Parcel Service, Inc. In Young, the Court interpreted the PDA to provide plaintiffs who bring pregnancy-related disparate treatment claims pursuant to Title VII with additional protections that plaintiffs who bring non-pregnancy-related claims under Title VII do not receive. The Young court reasoned that this interpretation flowed from the PDA because Congress intended the Act to modify Title VII and wanted to ensure that federal courts would not prematurely dismiss pregnancy discrimination claims, as they historically had done. This Article argues that such reasoning not only provides additional protections for plaintiffs who bring disparate treatment claims, but also furnishes similar safeguards for plaintiffs who bring disparate impact claims. The Article concludes by noting, however, that federal courts have not yet extended such special protection to plaintiffs with pregnancy- related disparate impact claims. The result is that courts still often prematurely dismiss their claims, despite the PDA’s purpose and Young’s reasoning.

Compared to What? Menstruation, Pregnancy, and the Complexities of Comparison


 
 
 This piece explores the complexities of the comparative model as applied to sex discrimination claims that are connected to female biology. On the one hand, comparisons can be a useful and precise way to pinpoint discrimination. The notion that bandages and adult diapers are tax-exempt, while tampons and pads are not, brings the unfairness of the tampon tax into sharp relief: Why are those products for absorbing bodily fluids tax-free, when menstrual products are not? The same is true for a pregnant employee who can show that her request for a light-duty accommodation was denied while the identical light-duty request by another similarly-situated, non-pregnant employee was granted.
 But the model also contains two traps. First, almost no comparison is perfect. There is often some potential for distinguishing and line-drawing, some way to argue that the comparison does not fully hold up. Second, the comparative model is itself inherently limiting. The biological processes of menstruation and pregnancy (along with menopause and breastfeeding, which this piece does not address) are closely intertwined with female sex and have no obvious analogues. Indeed, these processes impose specific challenges and needs that are not borne equally across the sexes. Yet the comparative model reductively suggests that if no products receive tax-exempt status, or if no employees receive accommodations for their inability to work, there is no sex discrimination issue at all. Although advocates cannot escape the current comparative framework within which they must work—and indeed should use it to their advantage when possible—we should all remain mindful of the framework’s ultimate limitations.
 
 
 
 The piece begins by analyzing Young v. United Parcel Service, Inc., the 2015 Supreme Court case that grappled with how to apply the PDA’s comparison-based standard. I discuss how Young illustrates the complexities of comparison and unpack the compromise approach that emerged. I then consider the potential usefulness of the Young approach to the tampon tax cases, while acknowledging that they arise under the Equal Protection Clause rather than Title VII. I conclude with some broader reflections.
 
 
 
 
 

Compared to What? Menstruation, Pregnancy, and the Complexities of Comparison

When crafting a sex discrimination argument, finding the right comparison can be crucial. Indeed, comparison-drawing has been a key strategy for advocates challenging the constitutionality of the tampon tax. In their 2016 lawsuit challenging New York’s tampon tax, the plaintiffs alleged that the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance had imposed a “double standard” when deciding which products would be considered tax-free medical items and which would not. Similar arguments were made in the subsequent challenge to Florida's tampon tax. In both cases, the arguments had powerful rhetorical force, helping to effectuate legislative repeal of the tampon taxes in those states. This piece explores the complexities of the comparative model as applied to sex discrimination claims that are connected to female biology. On the one hand, comparisons can be a useful and precise way to pinpoint discrimination. But the model also contains two traps. First, almost no comparison is perfect. There is often some potential for distinguishing and line-drawing, some way to argue that the comparison does not fully hold up. Second, the comparative model is itself inherently limiting. The biological processes of menstruation, menopause, and pregnancy (along with breastfeeding, which this piece does not address) are closely intertwined with female sex, with no obvious analogues. Indeed, these processes impose specific challenges and needs that are not borne equally across the sexes. Yet the comparative model reductively suggests that if no products receive tax-exempt status, or if no employees receive accommodations for their inability to work, there is no sex discrimination issue at all. Although advocates cannot escape the current comparative framework within which they must work—and indeed should use it to their advantage when possible—we should all remain mindful of the framework’s ultimate limitations. The piece begins by analyzing Young v. United Parcel Service, Inc., the 2015 Supreme Court case that grappled with how to apply the PDA’s comparison-based standard. I discuss how Young illustrates the complexities of comparison, and unpack the compromise approach that emerged. I then consider the potential usefulness of the Young approach to the tampon tax cases, while acknowledging that they arise under the Equal Protection Clause rather than Title VII. I conclude with some broader reflections.

A Novel Data Forwarding Strategy for a Drone Delay Tolerant Network with Range Extension

Amazon, Uber Eats, and United Parcel Service (UPS) are planning to launch drone delivery services in the near future. Indeed, recently, Google has received Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approval for its Wings delivery platform. Amazon claims that a drone logistics network is more cost-efficient and quicker than a motor vehicle delivery network. In this paper, we propose a data delivery service by the drone network in addition to parcel delivery. We propose Heuristic Flight Path Planning (HFPP) that plans a drone’s flight path based on parcel delivery destination as well as data delivery destinations (waypoints). We further extend the solution to include drone charging stations for range extension. Our simulation studies show that our proposed method has delivered the data and consignments such that HFPP delivers up to 33% more data packets compared with Encounter-Based Routing (EBR), Epidemic, and a similar path planning method. Also, HFPP reduces the data delivery delays by up to 72% while the overhead ratio is low.

Young v. United Parcel Services, Inc., Rewritten

Young v. United Parcel Services, 135 S. Ct. 1338 (2015), is appropriately considered a win for women because it expanded opportunities for pregnant employees to receive workplace accommodations. However, the case could have been far more transformative, both in how it interpreted the law and in how it explained why it matters for working women. This “rewritten” version, forthcoming in an edited volume, imagines what Young might have said if it were written from a feminist perspective. The Supreme Court’s actual decision instructs lower courts to assess whether an employer’s refusal to provide an accommodation is infected by discriminatory bias. The rewritten decision, by contrast, argues the plain language of the Pregnancy Discrimination Act makes intent irrelevant, so long as a pregnant employee can show that other workers with similar limitations receive more favorable treatment. This interpretation is better supported by the text of the statute, as well as its history and purpose. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission also endorsed this interpretation, and the rewritten opinion shows why deference was warranted. Finally, the rewritten opinion rejects the contention, articulated by the Court in the actual Young decision, that this interpretation affords pregnant women a “most favored nation” status. This allegation suggests accommodating male workers is an ordinary cost of business, but costs relating to pregnancy are special costs that employers should not have to bear. The PDA’s comparative structure was intended to counteract such assumptions and the still-pervasive belief that pregnant women are less capable or less committed than other employees. Readers may also be interested in my more traditional academic scholarship on this subject: Gilbert Redux: The Interaction of the Pregnancy Discrimination Act and the Amended Americans With Disabilities Act, 46 U.C. Davis L. Rev. 961 (2013) (https://ssrn.com/abstract=2221332) and The Interaction of the Pregnancy Discrimination Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act After Young v. UPS, 50 U.C. Davis L. Rev. 1423 (2017) (https://ssrn.com/abstract=2948666).

Detection of Occupational Physical Activities using a Smart Textile System

Detection of Occupational Physical Activities using a Smart Textile System

Hydrogen hybrids debut as zero-emission delivery trucks: Fuel cells extend the range of battery-powered trucks now heading for California roads - [News

Austin Mabrey steers the clanging United Parcel Service (UPS) van down a street in Austin, Texas. But he's not driving the boxy brown vehicle to deliver packages. Mabrey is road-testing its zero-emission system-a hybrid of hydrogen fuel cells and lithium iron phosphate batteries.

Resolving the Great Divide in Pregnancy Discrimination

The Supreme Court granted certiorari on July 1, 2014, in the Fourth Circuit case of Young v. United Parcel Service, to resolve a fundamental disagreement between the federal courts of appeals over the extent to which employers are required to provide reasonable accommodations to pregnant workers under the Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978. Prior to granting certiorari, the Supreme Court invited the Solicitor General to submit an amicus curiae brief providing the position of the United States. It was the opinion of the Solicitor General that the Fourth Circuit “erred in holding that petitioner failed to establish a prima facie case of pregnancy-related sex discrimination,” and moreover that “[a] majority of the courts of appeals…to have considered claims similar to petitioner’s have erred” in interpreting the second clause of the PDA. If the Court agrees with the opinion of the Solicitor General, its decision will reverse the current approach in the majority of federal circuits, thereby substantially altering the litigation of pregnancy discrimination claims.

Central States Pension Fund: Department of Labor Activities Under the Consent Decree and Federal Law

The Central States, Southeast and Southwest Areas Pension Fund (CSPF) was established in 1955 to provide pension benefits to trucking industry workers and is one of the largest multiemployer plans. According to its regulatory filings, CSPF had less than half the estimated funds needed to cover plan liabilities in 1982 at the time it entered into a court-enforceable consent decree that provides for oversight of certain plan activities. Since then, CSPF has made some progress toward achieving its targeted level of funding; however, CSPF has never been more than 75 percent funded and its funding level has weakened since 2002. Stakeholders GAO interviewed identified numerous factors that contributed to CSPF's financial condition. For example, stakeholders stated that changes within the trucking industry, as well as a decline in union membership, contributed to CSPF's inability to maintain a healthy contribution base. CSPF's active participants made up about 69 percent of all participants in 1982, but accounted for only 16 percent in 2016. The most dramatic change in active participants occurred in 2007 when the United Parcel Service, Inc. (UPS) withdrew from the plan. At that time, UPS accounted for about 30 percent of the plan's active participants (i.e. workers). In addition, the market declines of 2001 to 2002 and 2008 had a significant negative impact on the plan's long-term investment performance. Stakeholders noted that, while each individual factor contributed to CSPF's critical financial condition, the interrelated nature of the factors also had a cumulative effect on the plan's financial condition. The 1982 consent decree between the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) and CSPF came about as a result of an investigation of alleged breaches of fiduciary duty and mismanagement of plan assets, and is intended to prevent their reoccurrence. In addition to reiterating the requirement that the plan comply with the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA)—the primary law governing the treatment of private-sector pensions in the United States—the consent decree further outlines requirements for the plan to help ensure fiduciary controls and plan management, including seeking court approvals for the appointment of new trustees and changes to the plan's investment policy. The consent decree also delineates roles for DOL and other stakeholders. For example, it allows DOL to object to or comment on certain proposed plan actions, but does not require the agency to do so. GAO's review of plan documents found that the agency provided oversight and technical assistance in the areas specifically identified for its involvement under the consent decree, such as vetting proposed trustees prior to the court's approval. DOL is primarily responsible for enforcing the reporting, disclosure, and fiduciary provisions of ERISA for all tax-qualified pension plans, including CSPF. ERISA sets forth a “prudent man standard of care” in the execution of fiduciary duties that, according to DOL, focuses on the process for making proper fiduciary decisions. Plan fiduciaries are responsible for selecting and monitoring investment managers, but are generally not liable for the individual investment decisions of those managers. To enforce ERISA, DOL conducts examinations and investigations. Since the consent decree was established, DOL officials reported that the agency has completed two investigations of CSPF. The two investigations—completed in 1998 and 2004—were closed without adverse findings against the plan. Beyond the agencies' oversight role, DOL collaborated with CSPF and others on steps intended to improve the plan's financial position, including contributing to discussions on proposed legislation and working with CSPF on its application to reduce benefits under the Multiemployer Pension Reform Act of 2014. The application was not approved by the U.S. Department of the Treasury.

Central States Pension Fund: Investment Policy Decisions and Challenges Facing the Plan

Central States Pension Fund: Investment Policy Decisions and Challenges Facing the Plan

When Local Class Unionism Meets International Solidarity: A Case of Union Revitalisation in Turkey

The article concerns the recent transformation and ensuing successes of a Turkish trade union of road transport workers called Tüm Taşıma İşçileri Sendikası (TÜMTİS). In the mid-2000s, TÜMTİS was mainly organised in small-sized freight companies having around 1 500 members with collective contracts. The strategic choice of a new leadership to concentrate on a large-scale, international firm with the support of Global Unions was the turning point. The ensuing United Parcel Service campaign ended with a collective agreement for nearly 2 700 new members in 2011. The union won its second large-scale organising victory at DHL in 2014. At the time of writing, a third large-scale firm is on the verge of recognition. To scrutinise this case, I use the power resources approach in a critical way. To the approach, I add an examination of the subjectivities of union leaders by drawing on the debates about different types of unionisms, importance of the ideology and motivations. I argue that the agency behind this revitalisation can be only explained by taking both its objectivities and subjectivities into account. While the class unionism embraced by TÜMTİS leaders explains the subjective side of the story, associational power from below and its meeting with international solidarity play the key role on the objective side.

The Battle for Value, 2016: FedEx Corp. versus United Parcel Service, Inc.

This case invites students to assess the financial performance of FedEx Corp. and United Parcel Service, Inc., two firms that have long competed for dominance in the overnight delivery industry. The case is designed to introduce students to corporate value creation and its sources. It requires no numerical computations; instead, it asks the student to interpret the results and to reflect upon their implications. Excerpt UVA-F-1773 Rev. Jan. 26, 2018 The Battle for Value, 2016: FedEx Corp. versus United Parcel Service, Inc. 2015 was a transformative year for FedEx with outstanding financial results, more powerful customer solutions, and actions to generate increased long-term value for shareowners. We believe FedEx is on a dynamic trajectory that will make 2016 very successful. Our company has never been better positioned to build shareowner value. —FedEx CEO Frederick W. Smith, Annual Report 2015 . . .

Medical delivery drones take flight in east africa

While Amazon and United Parcel Service pour considerable resources into finding ways of using drones to deliver such things as shoes and dog treats, Zipline has been saving lives in Rwanda since October 2016 with drones that deliver blood. Zipline's autonomous fixedwing drones now form an integral part of Rwanda's medical-supply

The Role of the Efficiency Defence in EU Merger Control Proceedings Following UPS/TNT, FedEx/TNT and UPS v Commission

The importance of efficiencies – synergies, cost savings – has long been recognised in the context of antitrust review of mergers, whether in the USA, Europe, or other jurisdictions. The use of efficiencies in defence of substantively-problematic mergers, as an antidote to the potential anticompetitive effects of a merger, has a much more chequered history. In Europe, outright denial of the pro-competitive effects of merger-related efficiencies has evolved through a phase of somewhat reluctant acceptance of the theoretical benefits of efficiencies, into what is currently a codified willingness to assess and accept efficiencies in defence of otherwise problematic mergers. On 7 March 2017 the General Court of the EU (‘Court’) issued its judgement1 on the matter of the appeal by United Parcel Service, Inc. (‘UPS’) against the Commission decision to prohibit its acquisition of TNT Express NV (‘TNT’) in January 2013.2 In that judgement, the Court annulled the Commission's prohibition decision, raising concerns about the lack of access afforded to the merging parties in UPS/TNT in respect of a finalised version of the econometric model used by the Commission as a basis for its blocking decision. Much of the economic evidence presented by the merging parties in that case had related to purported efficiencies that would be created by the merger, and the issue of whether those efficiencies would be sufficient to outweigh an expected negative effect on pricing as a result of the merger.

Laws to Protect Diverse Employees

Although a diverse working environment can produce an efficient workflow, employees are not always treated fairly based on these diversities. Laws were established in 1963 to protect workers from unfair treatment by employers and coworkers. Since that time, laws have been added and amended to parallel changes in society and technology, from equal pay and equality based on sex, race, and religion, to genetic nondiscrimination. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission supports these laws and can sue employers when the complaints of diverse workers do not solve problems they face in the workplace. It is vital that employees understand their rights and that employers strictly follow these laws that require them to treat workers with fairness. ABBREVIATIONS:EEOC - Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, UPS - United Parcel Service, ADEA - Age Discrimination in Employment Act, IRCA - Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, GINA - Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008

United Parcel Service, Inc.: The Challenge of Protecting Organizational DNA

This case explores the nature and strength of the UPS organization and presents the following question: With the increasing speed of change and competition in today's global, digital economy, can UPS continue to pursue its dual strategies of operational excellence and adaptation while maintaining adherence to the employee-centric cultural policies that have been the foundation of its success for so long? Excerpt UVA-S-0238 Feb. 25, 2014 UNITED PARCEL SERVICE, INC.: THE CHALLENGE OF PROTECTING ORGANIZATIONAL DNA You are by nature, a man of inquiring mind, and you see much in your job and elsewhere in the company that should be improved. You are impatient to have these defects corrected. You are far more interested in improving what is bad than in crowing about what is good. You are, in a word, constructively dissatisfied. —Jim Casey, founder of United Parcel Service, Inc. . . .