UPS supply truck drivers have begun sharing photos displaying the sweltering temperatures recorded inside their vans as communities throughout the US proceed to expertise record-breaking temperatures.
In a viral tweet shared by Teamsters for a Democratic Union drivers posted photos of thermometers inside vans reaching 116F (47C), 117F and 121F – temperatures far above what is taken into account secure. UPS vans wouldn't have air con.
“UPS CEOs would by no means settle for working in 120- or 130-degree workplaces. Drivers shouldn’t both,” tweeted Teamsters for a Democratic Union, a bunch of members with Teamsters, the union representing UPS truck drivers.
UPS drivers are sharing thermometer reads from inside their vans. UPS CEOs would by no means settle for working in 120 or 130-degree workplaces. Drivers should not must both. pic.twitter.com/v9P31qLPLl
In June, a younger UPS driver died simply after his twenty fourth birthday after he collapsed whereas delivering packages in Los Angeles. His household imagine he died of heatstroke.
Just a few weeks later, a house owner in Scottsdale, Arizona, the place temperatures have topped 110F, launched dramatic doorbell digital camera footage of a UPS driver collapsing on his entrance porch proper after delivering a bundle. The unnamed driver acquired up after collapsing and staggered again to his truck.
In response to the video, UPS stated in a press release that the motive force has recovered and that drivers “are educated to work outside and for the results of scorching climate”.
“The well being and security of our workers is our highest precedence,” the corporate stated in a press release. “Preparation, relaxation, hydration and sustaining good well being practices are key to working outside. UPS invests greater than $260m yearly to implement packages targeted on security, together with working in scorching climate.”
Warmth has been raging throughout the nation this summer season, with triple-digit warmth being seen in a number of states, notably within the west and south. The dying of 4 individuals within the Pacific north-west is being investigated for any ties with warmth after the area skilled an intense heatwave final week. Over 100 million People have been positioned beneath a number of warmth warnings this summer season amid dangerously excessive temperatures.
Local weather scientists have warned that the local weather emergency will make warmth extra intense and extended if not addressed.
In a listing of calls for posted on Twitter in July, Teamsters stated that the corporate has cited “no scientific proof that air con [in trucks] could be ineffective”.
“We will level to [federal] pointers that clearly suggest such cooling is actually an efficient means for employers to mitigate the danger of warmth sickness on the job.”
The union stated that UPS ought to present followers in each truck – drivers at present must request a fan and “endure a course of” earlier than it's put in. The corporate might additionally present ice machines in vans, water and higher protecting gear, like cool neck towels and extra breathable uniform, to guard drivers in opposition to the excessive warmth. Teamsters additionally stated that the corporate ought to rent extra drivers and lighten the load of present drivers, giving them extra time to relaxation and rehydrate in intense warmth.
“By refusing to implement these security measures, the corporate is actually sending drivers out to die within the warmth,” the Teamsters basic president, Sean O’Brien, stated in a press release in July.
On Monday, Teamsters launched its marketing campaign for a greater contract with UPS because the contract between the union and the corporate expires subsequent August. Employees need to higher wages and advantages with a brand new contract.
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