Safety News
Three Bungee Cords and a Disaster Waiting to Happen
Jokes about bubble gum and bailing wire, band-aids and duct tape are commonly used to describe shoddy workmanship or slapstick repair in every workplace.
But who would ever think UPS, a multinational corporation, would actually employ such remedies? That’s just what happened on Oct. 5, when a broken fuel tank strap on a ‘94 Mack truck was replaced with a single rubber bungee cord.
NY Times: UPS Workers Demand New Approach to Safety
Joe Korziuk has spent 23 years working for U.P.S. washing trucks, delivering packages and driving tractor trailers. Though he loves the job, it has a downside: At 45, he has had surgery on both knees and a shoulder, developed bulging disks in his back and sustained a concussion when boxes fell on him.
“It’s a direct result of the job,” Mr. Korziuk said. “They’re always harping on you and pushing you to go faster and faster.”
Click here to read more at The New York Times.
Tornado Strikes Near UPS Hub
UPS loves logistics. But does it care about its workforce?
An EF-4 tornado touched down dangerously close to the Earth City UPS hub in Missouri on April 22. UPS Teamsters in the Midwest have been drilled to seek shelter in the inner office during a tornado. But when the real test came, safety took a back seat for UPS management. Read the rest …
UPS Reviewing Driver Cell Phone Use
UPS said it is preparing to follow its ban on driver texting with a broader policy on use of cell and smart phones while its employees are behind the wheel, in support of federal policies to combat distracted driving.
Feeder Driver Beats UPS on Safety Violation
OSHA has ordered UPS to pay more than $100,000 for “reckless disregard for the law and complete indifference” to driver safety rights.
Read the rest …
When You Gotta Go
UPS management has been hassling drivers in some areas about going off their route to use bathroom facilities and even for going to the bathroom when they’re not on their break. Is this happening in your area? Let us know and find out your rights under federal law.
Read the rest …
UPS to Pay $53,000 for Hazardous Waste Violations
United Parcel Service has agreed to pay a $53,931 civil penalty to EPA Region 7 to settle a series of alleged violations of federal laws regarding the management of hazardous wastes at its freight facility in Lenexa, Kan.
Click here to read the full story. Read the rest …
UPS Takes Business Advice from Scrooge
UPS management is cranking down the thermostat, taking a page from one of the worst bosses ever: Ebenezer Scrooge. In Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, Scrooge would only let his employees burn one lump of a coal at a time. Read the rest …
UPS Manager Awarded $1 million in Whistleblower Case
Demoted After Blowing Whistle on Fraud, Discrimination
The New Jersey Star-Ledger is reporting that a jury has awarded a UPS manager $500,000 for economic losses and $500,000 for emotional distress because the company retaliated against him for making allegations about fraud and gender discrimination at Brown.
Billboards Blast UPS Safety Violations
Local 177 has tried for months to get UPS management to address dangerous safety violations in the hub in Edison, N.J. Now the local is going public with its concerns.
The New Jersey Turnpike is now home to two prominent billboards letting UPS know it’s time to protect employee safety. Read the rest …
Crossing the Line on Safety Quizzes
We’re all familiar with UPS’s pop quizzes on the 10-Point Commentary and other company safety-speak. The company has decided it’s not enough for drivers to work safely and follow proper methods. They want us to recite their methods word-for-word.
The company can make us play the game, but there are limits. And some managers are stepping over the line. In some instances, UPS has threatened to take drivers out of service without pay if they can’t properly answer questions. Read the rest …
Teamster Whistleblower Gets $250K at UPS
A Teamster mechanic is a quarter million dollars richer after settling an OSHA whistle-blower complaint at UPS.
Teamster Local 687 member Dan Petersen was fired by UPS after he reported trucks in its Watertown, N.Y. building were unsafe.
Petersen successfully won his job back through his local union and then took on the company for violating federal whistleblower protections. Read the rest …
Protect UPS Drivers from Spy Technology
As previously reported by MakeUPSDeliver.org, UPS is preparing to implement new technology that will enable management to monitor drivers like never before.
UPSers need to make sure we win strong language to protect Teamsters from discipline resulting from the new spy technology.
The case of Local 391 Teamster Ron Revels—a 21-year Teamster who was fired for cutting his lunch short to help the company— shows why this new contract language is so important. Read the rest …
