Chicago, IL – Teamsters Local 710 published an online memorial to Brother William “Dollar Bill” Young, who passed away on Sunday, March 29. Brother Young worked at the UPS CACH facility and was remembered as “hard working,” and “dedicated to his craft and always a friendly face.”
Tampa, FL – UPS preloaders held a demonstration March 24 demanding disposable gloves, hand sanitizer and other personal protective equipment (PPE) amid the global COVID-19 pandemic. The demonstration was part of an ongoing local and national fight by UPS employees to get the PPE they need to safely perform their job and prevent the spread of the virus to customers and the public.
Chicago, IL – This past week, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) won expanded protections for all its members at United Parcel Service (UPS). The mid-contract negotiations were in direct response to the Trump administration's designation of UPS as an essential service during the COVID-19 crisis, meaning that workers will continue to work throughout the duration of this health emergency.
Lansing, MI – In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic sweeping the world, UPS Teamsters are concerned about the lack of safety precautions taken by the company. While UPS workers were deemed essential workers, there has been little to no effort on the part of UPS to make the workplace safe from the virus. There has been no scale-back of operations to only essential or critical packages, there have been no additional jobs created for cleaning and sanitizing work spaces, and any efforts to supply the work force with cleaning and hygiene supplies has been at the discretion of local managers and supervisors on a case-by-case basis.
Miami, FL – UPS Teamsters across the country are participating in a nationwide moment of silence today, December 9, for #Frank Ordonez, the 27-year-old UPS package car driver killed in a police shootout after being taken hostage by armed robbers. Many Teamsters are questioning the tactics used by police, noting that the officers’ trigger-happy actions were not normal for a hostage situation and resulted in not only the death of Frank Ordonez but the death of union representative Rick Cutshaw and endangered the lives of many others.
Miami, FL – The busy holiday season for UPS Teamsters took a deadly turn on December 5 in South Florida. Miramar police shot and killed UPS driver Frank Ordonez while firing dozens of times into the side of a UPS truck he had been taken hostage in. They also killed a civilian who was nearby.
Chicago, IL – Dozens of U.S. workers die every year due to heat, according to the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). UPS trucks can feel as hot as ovens and UPS warehouses are almost unbearable in the summer. One memory burned into the minds of Chicago-area UPS workers is that of Stephen Michael, who died in a UPS warehouse in 2011 after his request to go home was denied, when he reported not feeling well during a day with a 109-degree heat index.
Tampa, FL – El United Parcel Service (UPS) sacó a la luz sus ganancias del cuarto trimestre el mes pasado, sobrepasando las expectativas de Wall Street con casi $5 mil millones en ganancias en el 2018. Con una combinación de abrir nuevas instalaciones de clasificación automatizadas, la compra de nuevos aviones de carga, y la explotación de los empleados por medio de salarios bajos y largas jornadas de trabajo, UPS tuvo una temporada navidena muy lucrativa. La compañía es optimista sobre el tema de sus ganancias en el 2019 y en el futuro. Para los trabajadores, sin embargo, el futuro no se ve tan luminoso.
Tampa, FL – On March 7, Dennis Taylor, chief negotiator for Teamster contract negotiations with UPS, announced that local supplements for Detroit Local 243 and Western Pennsylvania would be forced through. This spits in the face of a resounding no vote from UPS Teamsters. Just days earlier, votes came in showing that UPS Teamsters in Detroit and Western Pennsylvania had rejected their local supplements by a staggering 88.3% and 96.4% respectively.