Teamsters union rallies outside UPS hub following driver's heat-related crash
McKINNEY, Texas - The union representing UPS workers is calling on the company to improve heat safety after a scary incident last week. The company said it is already making changes.
Members of the Teamsters Local 767 rallied on Wednesday outside the UPS facility in McKinney because of a crash that landed a UPS driver in the hospital.
That driver reported he wasn’t feeling well while on his route on Friday.
The union claims he was told to drop off his packages with a different driver before ending his shift.
Before that could happen, he passed out from heat exhaustion and crashed his truck on the Sam Rayburn Tollway.
The driver was hospitalized and released the next day.
North Texas UPS driver's crash brings back safety concerns for postal workers in summer heat
The UPS truck crash last week is bringing letter carrier safety concerns back into the forefront as the summer heat shows no signs of letting up.
Union members are now demanding accountability from UPS.
They say the company has not upheld its end of a contract that ensures more heat safety for its employees.
"UPS has put on record that they've spent millions and millions of dollars developing this comprehensive safety program and which they have. I've been a part of the conversations with them. And I certainly think it needs to be followed from the top to the operators themselves and talk to the drivers themselves who unfortunately experience heat-related injuries. UPS needs to be held accountable for the decisions they've made when it comes to our members and the general public," said Dave Reeves, the president of Teamsters Local 767.
A spokesman for UPS said the contract that was agreed on between UPS and the union last year calls for all new delivery trucks purchased this year to have air conditioning.
More heat safety education is required, and all drivers must have access to water, ice, cooling gear, and fans.
UPS said it is on track and, in some cases, ahead of schedule on those changes.
However, union members say they will continue to "turn up the heat" until their message is heard.