UPS employees rally in New York to object hot working conditions

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UPS workers rally in New York to protest hot working conditions

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Teamster Local 804 rally in Brooklyn, NY, July 28, 2022.

Jack Stebbins|CNBC

BROOKLYN, N.Y.– UPS employees rallied Thursday early morning to require that the business offer employees sufficient relief throughout durations of severe heat.

Union leaders at the rally explained UPS warehouse “infernos” with minimal a/c. The rally was motivated by the June death of 24- year-old Esteban Chavez, a UPS chauffeur who collapsed while working a 90- degree day in Pasadena,California The occasion concluded with a minute of silence for Chavez.

UPS reacted to claims by union authorities by stating the health and wellness of its employees are the business’s leading concerns. “UPS drivers are trained to work outdoors and to manage the effects of hot weather,” a business representative informed CNBC.

Much of the United States has actually suffered through extremely high and, in many cases, record-breaking temperature levels of late. New York City has actually seen constant temperature levels in excess of 90 degrees. The city reported a heat-related death recently.

Teamsters Local 804, representing 8,000 employees in the city New York location, collected outside the UPS Customer Center in Brooklyn beside an inflatable “fat cat” holding a bag of cash and shipment employee by the neck.

UPS uses more Teamsters than any other business. The nationwide union agreement is set to end July 31, 2023, and Local 804 union leaders Thursday alerted of a possible strike.

Local 804 President Vincent Perrone check out from the UPS quarterly incomes report from Tuesday, which went beyond Wall Street’s expectations.

“They’re projected, off of your backs, you brothers and sisters, to have revenue of over $100 billion in 2022,” Perrone informed the crowd of shipment chauffeurs and storage facility employees.

Perrone, who was a UPS chauffeur for over 25 years, stated that he had actually looked for medical attention on 3 different events throughout his profession. Perrone has actually been the Local 804 president for 3 and a half years.

Teamster Local 804 rally in Brooklyn, NY. 220728

Jack Stebbins|CNBC

“I had four drivers just last week on Thursday and Friday that had to go to the emergency room because of the heat,” Perrone informed CNBC throughout the rally. In one case, he stated, management didn’t call an ambulance.

“These buildings are infernos inside,” he stated. “The only things that are air conditioned are the management’s offices and where they keep their electronics.”

Local 804 Vice President Christopher Williamson stated the management cuts off a/c in the storage facilities at 6 p.m. and challenged the business’s CEO, Carol Tome, to invest a night in a storage facility.

Williamson informed CNBC that his storage facility has actually been waiting for parts to repair an ice maker. He asked, “How are you waiting for parts when you’re UPS and you have next day air delivery?”

UPS stated it invests $270 million each year on security programs, consisting of for operating in heat.

“Preparation, rest, hydration and maintaining good health practices are key to working outdoors,” a representative stated. UPS has a “Cool Solutions” program that informs “employees about hydration, along with nutrition and proper sleep before working in hotter temperatures,” together with offering water and ice to shipment and storage facility employees, the agent included.

Amazon Labor Union organizer Brett Daniels likewise went to the UPS employee rallyThursday Daniels is a storage facility employee at the JFK8 satisfaction center in Staten Island, the very first Amazon storage facility to unionize in the United States.

“It’s the same struggle,” Daniels stated. “Specifically with the working conditions: the poor ventilation and the no AC, we can really relate as Amazon warehouse workers.”