A lot of numbers are being thrown around in the article.
$170,000 a year and
Drivers discussing their hourly pay of $40 or more routinely make national headlines. and
Prior to the new deal, the company said drivers earned about $95,000 in pay annually on average or about $42 an hour, and another $50,000 in benefits and
raised starting pay for part-time staff to $21 an hour and
the new contract would provide a pay boost of $2.50 an hour this year and $7.50 an hour over the five years of the deal.
The $170k number comes from the employer, and the article expresses no curiosity about which end of the confidence interval at the end of 5 years that benefits fall on. Future cost-of-labor numbers from the employer may incorporate burden and liability forecasts as well, as those are considered to be a portion of labor expense when discussing compensation. The article also seems to be doing its own math to arrive at hourly rates, naively assuming that an entire amount is paid compensation and doesn't include benefits or overtime.
The base rate being increased from (apparently?) $18.50 to $21 is a red flag that should have us asking critical questions. Delivery driving is destructive to one's body and dangerous. $18.50/hour is a ruinous rate for work that's not unlikely to change the usefulness of your body.