It's another hot and sweltering summer, and there’s still no AC for our men and women in Brown. What is it going to take for this company to install AC in the cargo area of these package trucks? Our drivers continue to work long and hard hours in this unbearable heat. The number of packages and weight limit increases on those packages continue to soar. According to the Wall Street Journal, e-commerce had a 21% jump in package volume, with a 65% increase in home delivery. 

COVID-19 has created more challenges and greater risks for our drivers. Drivers are already at risk of heat-related illness and death and are now faced with COVID-19 exposure. Most drivers have purchased their own masks and gloves to provide some protection. But the hubs and trucks remain unsanitized. Sadly, the truth is that UPS does not care about the safety of their drivers or the public. Instead, this multibillion-dollar company chooses profits over lives. 

“Cool Solutions” are not a solution 

They call these trucks the "hot tin box." We have pictures documenting the temperatures inside reaching 158° and higher. These conditions are going to continue to threaten the safety of our drivers and the public until UPS is stopped. I'm tired and disgusted by the way UPS continues to downplay and lie to the media, OSHA, and the public. They have under-reported heat-related illness and death, and told drivers that their “Cool Solutions” program will keep them safe. But the cool solutions program is nothing more than requirements for drivers to hydrate and take breaks in the shade. Drivers know how to hydrate, but it's not enough. Shady trees are not accessible for all drivers on certain routes. UPS knows that. UPS also claims there are ice machines and water available in all hubs – again, a lie. 

Critical medications are at risk, too 

The Cold Chain, according to UPS, makes the transport of medications safe. But there is a break in the chain. They have a beautiful, realistic-looking video that depicts a shipping container filled with liquid nitrogen to transport medications safely. The piece missing from their video is that once these containers arrive at the hubs, they are no longer kept in liquid nitrogen. The medications are removed and now sit in the “hot tin box.” From the time of arrival at the hub to delivery of the medications, they may sit in the heat for up to 24 hours, or sometimes longer. Folks – please don’t be fooled by this company. What is going to happen when COVID vaccines become available and UPS is the shipper? Are you going to trust that the vaccine you might get is safe? 

The solution is simple: provide A/C in the cargo area of these trucks. UPS has repeatedly said it isn’t cost-effective and wouldn’t work. They say the engine is on and off all day, the bulkhead doors are opened too many times, or the gas mileage would not be cost-effective. But what UPS knows, and isn’t telling us, is that there are battery-powered units that can run continuously through a driver's shift. They are built exactly for these kinds of trucks. 

Does UPS care about their drivers and the essential products they are delivering to people like us? Maybe Carol Tome – the new CEO of UPS – might care. When asked about future plans for the company, she said, “I don’t want bigger, I want better.” Well Carol, here’s your opportunity to do better. Take action and stop UPS from putting profit over lives.