UPS delivery drivers are sharing photos of the thermometer readings inside their trucks, showing that the temperature can reach up to 120 degrees Fahrenheit as part of a campaign to highlight unsafe working conditions.
Thermometer readings were posted by the Teamsters Union this past Monday. One shows a driver’s hand holding a temperature thermometer and pointing it into the back of their truck, filled with boxes on shelves. The thermometer reads 121.4 degrees.
On June 25, a 24-year-old California driver named Esteban Chavez died after he fell unconscious in his truck due to the heat, the family believes the cause of death was heatstroke, according to The Guardian.
At the time, UPS said it would be “ineffective” to put air conditioners in the trucks due to making frequent stops. The union replied that federal guidelines “clearly recommend such cooling is in fact an effective means for employers to mitigate the risk of heat illness on the job”.
Later that same month, a Scottsdale, Arizona, homeowner released doorbell video footage of a UPS driver collapsing in front of his door as he delivered a package in 110F (43C) heat.
The Teamsters announced on Monday that they were kicking off their fight for a better contract with UPS, since the current contract would expire in exactly one year.
“UPS hasn’t been proactive at all on the topic of heat and that’s going to have to change. We’re demanding the company take action now to protect workers and this is going to be one of a number of key issues that we’re bringing to the bargaining table when we go into contract negotiations," said Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien, and with 1.2 million members, it’s one of the largest unions in the world.
"UPS is projected to pull in more than $100 billion in revenue in 2022 off the backs of Teamsters, and while management sits inside drooling over those figures, we’ve got members going to the emergency room," Perrone said. "These trucks and warehouses are infernos. UPS can afford to do the right thing and protect its workers. They need to stop making excuses and do it now."
The Teamsters represent about 350,000 UPS workers, and heat safety protections are a top issue in the union's negotiations as their contract is set to expire next year.
"UPS is projected to pull in more than $100 billion in revenue in 2022 off the backs of Teamsters, and while management sits inside drooling over those figures, we’ve got members going to the emergency room," Perrone said. "These trucks and warehouses are infernos. UPS can afford to do the right thing and protect its workers. They need to stop making excuses and do it now."
The Teamsters represent about 350,000 UPS workers, and heat safety protections are a top issue in the union's negotiations as their contract is set to expire next year.
I haven't come across reports on Fed Ex or Amazon or DHS
https://www.audacy.com/krld/news/national/union-rep-says-ups-is-sending-drivers-out-to-die-amid-heat
https://money.cnn.com/2018/08/02/news/companies/ups-air-conditioning/index.html
not only does this prove OSHA is not proactive, but it proves OSHA ignored the death of USPS delivery driver Peggy Frank in 2018, that I'm proud to point out I covered in news in 2018 https://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2018/07/postal-delivery-worker-dead-in-her.html and followed up on in 2019 https://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2019/08/peggy-frank-died-last-july-due-to-usps.html
not only does this prove OSHA is not proactive, but it proves OSHA ignored the death of USPS delivery driver Peggy Frank in 2018, that I'm proud to point out I covered in news in 2018 https://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2018/07/postal-delivery-worker-dead-in-her.html and followed up on in 2019 https://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2019/08/peggy-frank-died-last-july-due-to-usps.html
I've noticed the Amazon van drives around our neighborhood with the side door open, but I think that's to make their deliveries faster. I think the windows were rolled up on the front doors.
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