A powerful union has largely failed to secure air conditioning for the delivery drivers it represents after claiming it would do so in 2023.
The International Brotherhood of Teamsters negotiated a contract with the United Parcel Service (UPS) in June 2023 that would require delivery vehicles purchased by the company to be equipped with air conditioning beginning in 2024. More than a year later, UPS has only a couple hundred vehicles operating with air conditioning out of its fleet of roughly 94,000 vans, UPS spokesperson Genny Bowman confirmed to the Daily Caller News Foundation.
“Air conditioning is coming to UPS, and Teamster members in these vehicles will get the relief and protection they’ve been fighting for,” Teamsters president Sean M. O’Brien said following the contract negotiations.
UPS drivers have reported temperatures of up to 121 degrees in vehicles without air conditioning, Business Insider reported. A severe heat wave swept the nation in June, with more than 270 million Americans experiencing temperatures of 90 degrees or higher, according to CNN.
While the rollout of air conditioning has been slow, UPS has taken action to retrofit old vehicles with fans and heat shields, Bowman told the DCNF. She also noted that the shipping company is investing in safety training, researching how to improve working conditions and providing workers with water to account for high temperatures.
The Teamsters, however, are unhappy with UPS’ progress so far, citing the need for the company to expedite the rollout of vehicles equipped with air conditioning.
“We are midway into the summer and frankly UPS is not moving fast enough,” Teamsters spokesperson Kara Deniz told the DCNF.
“We are aware that UPS has installed all contractually required second fans, and UPS is ahead of schedule in the installation of heat shields and air induction scoops for package compartment ventilation,” Deniz continued. “But it’s not enough. Our UPS Teamsters Heat Committee is meeting regularly and deciding on the union’s next course of action if the company continues to drag its feet.”
Deniz also signaled that the Teamsters are not taking UPS’ claims at face value and “are working to verify” if the vehicles purchased by the shipping giant actually have air conditioning.
Some union members were skeptical of the Teamster’s deal at the time it was negotiated, with the organization Workers Strike Back publishing a now-deleted blog post in August 2023 noting that there is “no clear language to force UPS to actually install air conditioning in vans that regularly reach 120 degrees, except in new vehicles that won’t be purchased until 2024.” The group also criticized the Teamsters for securing only meager wage increases and arguing that it weakened the position of workers in future negotiations.
Roughly 330,000 UPS employees are represented by the Teamsters, alongside millions of other workers in other industries like construction and aviation.
The Teamsters made a $45,000 donation to the Republican National Committee in January, marking the first such contribution to Republicans since 2004 in a bid to get the union “a seat at the table” among Republicans. O’Brien will speak at the Republican National Convention in July, CNN reported.
O’Brien’s union, however, has a history of left-wing activity, donating roughly $9 million to left-of-center causes between 2019 and 2022.
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