UPS Driver's $44/Hour Pay Stub Goes Viral

When Oregon UPS driver Skyler Stutzman posted his weekly pay stub to TikTok in October 2023, he had no idea it would reach nearly 12 million people.

The video showed something simple: 42 hours of work at $44.26 per hour, totaling over $1,300 after taxes. But the reaction was anything but simple.

Comments poured in from nurses, teachers, and college graduates shocked that a delivery job paid more than their careers. "20 years in my field with a degree!" one viewer lamented. A nurse chimed in: "I'm only making $32."

But Stutzman's follow-up videos told the full story. Getting to that hourly rate wasn't quick or easy.

He spent nearly six years waiting for a full-time position. Then came four more years of wage progression before reaching his current pay. That's roughly a decade, about as long as it takes to become a doctor.

Many locations also require working in a UPS warehouse before moving to delivery. And the job itself involves physical labor in all weather conditions, not exactly an easy route to good pay.

Why This Inspires

Stutzman shared his paycheck for a reason: transparency. He posted during the summer of 2023 when the Teamsters union was fighting for better wages and working conditions for postal workers.

The timing mattered. After months of tense negotiations and threats of what would have been the largest single employer strike in U.S. history, the union won big.

The new contract brought air conditioning to delivery vehicles. Full-time drivers now earn an average of $170,000 annually with benefits. Part-timers start at $25.75 per hour with built-in raises through 2028, plus full health care and pension benefits.

Stutzman's perspective offers hope beyond his own paycheck. He doesn't want people to feel envious of UPS drivers. He wants the conversation to highlight how all workers deserve wages that keep up with inflation.

His viral moment proved something powerful: you don't always need a college degree to earn good money, unions can deliver real change, and skilled labor deserves both respect and fair compensation.