![]() ![]() ![]() And while UPS is unusual in its industry for maintaining a large unionized workforce, any new concessions by the package carrier could ramp up pressure on rivals to follow suit. ![]() UPS is far from the only major logistics operator to face scrutiny around heat-related risks to its employees. economy even as inflation cools.Īs recently as Monday, the union was publicly hammering UPS on the issue, with the Teamsters urging union Twitter followers to “EXPOSE UPS INACTION ON HEAT SAFETY.” Union President Sean O’Brien, who was elected in part for his willingness to call for a strike, retweeted the message. 1, the day after the current contract expires - that experts say could deal a fresh blow to the U.S. Still, a vote in favor would move UPS workers one step closer to a potential nationwide work stoppage - which could be called as soon as Aug. The vote, which wouldn’t automatically trigger a work stoppage if approved, is a common bargaining tactic that aims to boost the union’s leverage. Unionized workers have been voting since last week on whether to authorize a strike, with results set to be announced Friday. News of the tentative heat safety deal could lower the likelihood of a nationwide strike that workers have threatened, as broader negotiations over a new five-year contract covering some 340,000 UPS employees continue ahead of a July 31 deadline. Occupational Safety and Health Administration inspectors have documented heat indexes of 126, and temperature readings taken by workers in their trucks in Arizona and Florida and provided to NBC News have shown temperatures above 150 degrees. UPS workers say the backs of trucks, where they must go to retrieve packages, can sometimes feel like saunas. Two fans would also be installed in package cars, which the union said make up most of the company’s 93,000-vehicle fleet. 1, 2024, the Teamsters said in the announcement. The tentative agreement would require in-cab air conditioning in most UPS delivery vehicles purchased after Jan. More than 100 UPS workers have been hospitalized for heat illnesses in recent years, with some falling so ill that they neared kidney failure, NBC News has reported. Until now, the nation’s largest package carrier has long resisted calls to add air conditioning to its fleet as summertime temperatures have climbed to record highs across the country. The announcement follows years of complaints by labor leaders - at UPS and other major retail and logistics companies - that working in hot weather can become unbearable and even dangerous. UPS confirmed it reached an agreement on heat safety with the Teamsters, saying in a statement that the tentative language “includes new measures that build on important actions rolled out to UPS employees in the spring, including new cooling gear and enhanced training.” ![]()
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