The “Great Resignation” may have cooled, but the “Great Paycheck Pivot” is officially in full swing—and it’s arriving in a brown truck.
As Skyler Stutzman, a UPS driver based in Oregon, pressed “post” on his TikTok video showing his paycheck for the week in late 2023, he not only became an overnight sensation but also unlocked the key to one of the best-kept secrets in the blue-collar world. As many white-collar workers struggle with the concept of “quiet quitters” and stagnant salaries, Stutzman’s open discussion about his salary, which has the potential for six-figure incomes with top-tier benefits, has sent a shockwave for the labor market.
The clip revealed that Stutzman worked 42 hours at $44.26 per hour, earning $2,004 before taxes and taking home a little over $1,300 after deductions.
Needles to say, the clip caused a stir on the social media and triggered a lot of comments from people who compared their salary to Stutzman’s, especially those netizens whose job requires a university degree and a bunch of other qualifications. Well…it did sound like some of them were a bit jealous.
“Not me realizing that a UPS driver makes more than I do. 20 years in my field with a degree!” one person lamented.
Another added, “$44? I’m a dang nurse only making $32.”
In fact, many people joked about it, albeit half-heartedly, about joining the team themselves as drivers. But, as Stutzman explained in a series of follow-up videos, getting to where he is today has not been an overnight success. In one video, he mentioned that it took him nearly six years to land a full-time gig, followed by another four years of incremental pay increases to get to where he is today. That’s about a decade’s worth of waiting, which someone likened to the years it takes to become a doctor.
Stutzman also noted that workers may be required to start at a UPS warehouse before moving into a driver role. Thus, even though Stutzman’s paycheck may make the work sound appealing, it’s definitely not the easiest path. And that’s not even taking into consideration the physical work that goes into delivering packages.
Stutzman explained that he was sharing his paycheck as a matter of radical transparency, a core value upheld by the Teamsters union during their high-stakes 2023 negotiations.
He wanted to show the fruits of the labor battle the union fought for: a historic contract with substantial wage increases and safer conditions, such as the promise of air-conditioned delivery vehicles for the first time ever.
The point of Stutzman’s post wasn’t to invite envy but rather to show the power of collective bargaining and the importance of wages that keep up with the cost of living.
While the internet buzzed over individual pay stubs, UPS CEO Carol Tomé confirmed the new standard during a 2023 earnings call. Tomé stated that by the end of the new five-year Teamsters contract, full-time drivers would enjoy an average total compensation package of $170,000. She further emphasized that the deal didn’t just favor those behind the wheel; part-time union workers would see their minimum pay rise to $25.75 per hour, all while maintaining the ‘gold-standard’ healthcare and pension benefits that have made UPS a cornerstone of American labor.
