A major complaint among UPS drivers appears on the verge of being rectified.
UPS announced it has reached an agreement with the Teamsters union to address heat safety.
Part of the agreement includes equipping all newly purchased small package delivery vehicles with air conditioning starting in 2024.
"Where possible, new vehicles will be allocated to the hottest parts of the country first," UPS said in a statement.
This is considered a big win for UPS drivers. A change.orgpetition started in 2018 has over 1 million signatures urging UPS to install air conditioning in delivery trucks.
Teamsters reach compromise with UPS on 2 key issues as strike looms
UPS employees may soon vote to authorize a strike, but the union says there has been progress in negotiations.
UPS said it has also agreed to other measures to help keep drivers in non-air conditioned trucks cool. They shipping company said it will install additional cab fans in vehicles without air conditioning. Exhaust heat shields and a new intake system that brings in fresh air from the outside will also be retrofitted into existing vehicles.
UPS is up against a deadline to ratify its contract with the Teamsters. The current contract expires July 31.
The Teamsters are organizing ahead of the deadline. They are encouraging members to vote to authorize a strike if UPS doesn't agree to certain demands, one of which was the heat safety standards.
“We are here to protect more than 340,000 UPS Teamsters and get the best contract in the history of our union with this company," the Teamsters said after negotiating the heat safety agreement.
