Most of you are probably aware of the potential UPS strike set for August 1st, concerning their current labor contract that is set to expire July 31st. We have been monitoring the situation as best we can, and have this statement based on the information we have been able to obtain:
I'm just going to lay it out there: If UPS does strike, the effects will be devastating across the country. UPS is a very major carrier of packages in this country, and their volume is enormous. We at Bauman Engraving & Signs have been over-ordering needed supplies for the past few weeks in anticipation of this - in order to maintain production here if there are indeed major delays in getting supplies from our vendors. This would generally only help our local customers where we personally deliver orders. For orders that we do ship, be aware that FedEx and USPS will likely suffer huge delays in trying to process shipments that UPS normally would take care of. It's like trying to shove 20 pounds of stuff into an 8 pound box - it won't work out too well. I can see our economy suffering greatly too (as if it hasn't already), and it will likely bring many businesses, especially ones that are mostly e-commerce, to it's knees. This will get serious very quickly.
We will do everything we possibly can to ship your orders to you in the most timely fashion possible under the circumstances. But please be aware, most of this is completely out of our control. I foresee shipping costs skyrocketing due to the very high demand, and shipping times being lengthened significantly. PLEASE KEEP THIS IN MIND WHEN PLACING YOUR ORDERS, AND ORDER AS FAR IN ADVANCE AS POSSIBLE.
Let's hope UPS and Teamsters come to a resolution to avoid this potentially messy situation.
Tom Dudek
President of Bauman Engraving & Signs, Inc.
