UPS met its obligation to retrofit 2,000 parcel delivery vans with air conditioning in the hottest parts of the country by June 1 and recently started a pilot program for piping cooled air into the rear cargo area behind the bulkhead door, where drivers can be exposed to sweltering conditions, Teamsters union General President Sean O’Brien said on Saturday, June 13.

Progress on heat safety was made possible by the vigilant enforcement of the 2023 national contract with UPS, which has also resulted in workers winning many other grievance filings, O’Brien told rank-and-file members in a video message posted on social media. One of the hard-fought additions in the contract is the requirement for a first-ever standing arbitrator who can quickly rule on worker grievances, such as back pay.

The Teamsters' chief said the arbitrator has been critical to faster resolution of union grievances and hundreds of millions of dollars in awards to workers.

In October, UPS agreed to modify 5,000 delivery vehicles in hot zones with air conditioning systems after the Teamsters publicly called out the company for dragging its feet on commitments to purchase or retrofit 28,000 sprinter vans and package cars with in-cab air conditioning by the summer of 2027 to protect drivers from excessive heat.

The first 2,000 retrofitted vehicles were delivered, as required, by June 1, O’Brien said. The rollout of the remaining 3,000 vehicles is supposed to be finished by June 1, 2027.

The October agreement also requires the freight transportation company to upgrade 100 package cars with air conditioning vented into the cargo compartment. Teamsters officials are currently evaluating the effectiveness of ventilating cargo compartments with retrofitted air ducts. 

“Air circulation in the back is key because without air circulation back here, it’s a sauna. We’re pretty damn excited about it. I’ve been around this company for damn near 40 years. I never thought I would see the day that we had air conditioning in the vehicle,” said Karla Schumann, the Teamsters western region vice president and an officer in Local 104 in Arizona, while standing in a test vehicle. 

O’Brien told members that “UPS is being held accountable to make sure they deliver on every single heat protection that we won at the table,” including installation of heat shields between the cab and exhaust vents.

And Teamsters members need to continue enforcing the contract to the letter in all areas, O’Brien argued, because UPS will look for every opportunity to violate the terms and save money.

“UPS is still just another giant corporation. At the end of the day, Carol Tomé and UPS executives care more about their stock price than they care about you,” the Teamsters chief said.

“Keep filing grievances. Talk to your stewards. Meet with your business agent. Do not let 9-to-5 violations or paycheck errors fly under the radar. Do your part to hold UPS accountable and continue to enforce our strong contract,” O’Brien urged.