Month: August 2023

Tropical Storm Harold made landfall Tuesday with sustained winds of 50 mph on Padre Island, Texas, but was downgraded to a tropical depression after moving quickly inland at 21 mph, weakening as it moved west-northwest across southern Texas and toward Mexico.

Rainfall amounts across southern Texas will range from 2 to 4 inches with isolated amounts up to 6 inches possible through early Wednesday, which could lead to some instances of flash flooding and isolated tornadoe. Around 1 to 3 feet of storm surge is also possible from the Mouth of the Rio Grande to Sargent, which includes Baffin Bay, Corpus Christi Bay and Matagorda Bay. Mexico is more likely to see flooding from remnants of Harold, with 4 to 6 inches and locally up to 10 inches possible there through Wednesday.

National Hurricane Center forecasters said in an update late on Tuesday that heavy rainfall continues to be expected across wide areas of South Texas through Wednesday. Flash-flooding in parts of Mexico’s Coahuila and northern Nuevo Leon could lead to possible landslides in mountain regions, and parts of south Texas can expect to see as much as 6 inches of rain by Wednesday, while parts of Mexico could get closer to 10 inches of rain. The National Hurricane Center also warned of “life-threatening” surf and tidal conditions along the shore of the Gulf of Mexico.

On a positive note, Harold will bring much-needed rain to a drought-stricken Texas, with the system also bringing a brief reprieve to the excessive heat including for cities like Austin, Corpus Christi and Brownsville.

Editorial credit: Arthur Villator / Shutterstock.com

UPS workers ratified the labor deal negotiated by the Teamsters nearly a month ago, which will allow the five-year contract to take effect.

Teamsters President Sean O’Brien said in a statement Tuesday: “This contract will improve the lives of hundreds of thousands of workers. Teamsters have set a new standard and raised the bar for pay, benefits, and working conditions in the package delivery industry. This is the template for how workers should be paid and protected nationwide, and nonunion companies like Amazon better pay attention.”

More than 86% of UPS union members voted in favor of the deal covering 340,000 employees, which officially removes the threat of a strike at UPS. Logistics experts had warned that a protracted work stoppage at the carrier would have caused widespread disruptions across the U.S. UPS confirmed the vote results, saying in a statement, “Our Teamsters-represented employees have voted to overwhelmingly ratify a new five-year National Master Agreement.”

The new UPS agreement eliminates the criticized two-tiered wage system and institutes raises across the package carrier’s workforce. Current full- and part-time union workers are guaranteed a $2.75 hourly pay increase this year amounting to a $7.50 hourly increase through the duration of the contract. Pay for existing and starting part-time workers will be raised to at least $21 per hour immediately, advancing to $23 per hour. Current part-timers also won longevity wage increases of up to $1.50 per hour. Wage increases for full-time drivers would bring their average top rate to $49 per hour.

https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/unionized-ups-workers-approve-contract-leaders-agreed-late-102462688

Editorial credit: Hadrian / Shutterstock.com