Amidst Scorching Temperatures, This Major Delivery Company Is Being Accused Of “Literally Sending Drivers Out To Die In The Heat”
This summer, states across the country experienced scorching, record-breaking heat waves. And unfortunately, some regions are continuing to weather some brutal heat.
According to a heat tracker created by the New York Times using data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, states such as Delaware, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Texas, and Arizona are still suffering heat indexes that warrant “extreme caution.”
In these regions, residents can expect to feel like the temperature outside is between ninety and one hundred and three degrees Fahrenheit. And prolonged exposure or exercise under these conditions can possibly result in heat stroke, heat cramps, or heat exhaustion.
Plus, parts of southern Florida are still in the “danger” heat index levels– where the temperature can feel like up to one hundred and twenty-five degrees Fahrenheit. There, heat cramps and heat exhaustion are likely. Additionally, prolonged exposure or exercise may even result in heat stroke.
And while these relentless heat conditions have been an annoyance for residents, they have also been a severe health hazard for UPS drivers across the country– who have begun speaking out against their working conditions.
UPS is currently the largest package delivery company in the entire world. But, the company’s financial gains have not exactly paralleled safe working environments.
Instead, nearly all of the signature UPS brown trucks have been operating without air conditioning– forcing drivers to continuously perform draining labor without any salvation from the heat.
UPS employs almost three hundred and fifty thousand people, most of which are covered via a union contract. And thankfully, since the contract expires next year, beating the heat will be a critical issue on the union’s agenda during the next round of negotiations.
“UPS has not been proactive at all on the topic of heat, and that’s going to have to change. By refusing to implement these safety measures, the company is literally sending drivers out to die in the heat,” said the general president of the union Sean M. O’Brien in an interview with NBC.
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Back in July, the Teamster’s union also made some other demands for drivers aside from air conditioning. In a letter, the union asked for cooling neck towels, fans in every truck, consistent water and ice supply, and new uniforms that will breathe better during extreme heat waves.
The letter also detailed the numerous instances UPS has been cited by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) over the years for heat-related injuries. The incidents spanned from 2011 to 2021, with rising incidents over the latest years.
In fact, the Teamsters for a Democratic Union even shared a tweet on August 2 which showed the extreme temperature reads UPS workers were collecting from inside their trucks.
“UPS CEOs would never accept working in 120 or 130-degree offices. Drivers shouldn’t have to either,” the tweet read, accompanied by pictures of various thermometers.
Following the Teamster’s Union letter, UPS did issue a statement claiming they plan to “support employee safety and comfort on the job” by providing electrolyte replacement beverages, additional water, and ice.
The company also plans to distribute two hundred and sixty thousand new uniforms with “wicking dry-fit shirts and performance fabric shorts.” Finally, UPS said that they had accelerated the installation of cooling fans in UPS trucks nationwide.
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