UPS Announced Plans for Air-Conditioned Delivery Vehicles; No Purchase Confirmed Yet
Despite a guarantee in the union agreement made with the Teamsters last year, UPS hasn't bought a single new air-conditioned van, even as temperatures skyrocket nationwide, putting workers' safety at risk both indoors and outdoors.
A vast majority of the approximately 100,000 brown delivery vans lack air conditioning. With no AC, the interiors of these trucks, particularly the cargo area where drivers have to go to deliver and pick up packages, can exceed 120 degrees, as per the Teamsters union, which represents over 300,000 UPS employees.
The union's demand for heat relief for its nearly 100,000 delivery drivers was a significant issue in the negotiations with UPS last year. It was not just about comfort; it was about worker safety, according to the union. Drivers have suffered heatstroke and have come close to death in these vans.
As part of the agreement reached in late July last year, UPS agreed to install air conditioning in all vans purchased after January 1.
UPS also agreed to modify existing vans with fans, heat shields, and "scoop air intakes" in the cargo area. The fans have been installed in all the vans, UPS stated. Approximately two thirds have been retrofitted with the heat shields and air scoops, resulting in an average decrease of 17 degrees in the cargo area's temperature, according to the company.
However, no new vans have been purchased this year, so no additional air-conditioned vans are on the roads. UPS claimed the decision to buy new vans is based on package volume and the need to replace the existing fleet, and there has been no need for new purchases yet.
The Teamsters are displeased with the slow progress on the air-conditioning issue.
"We are halfway through the summer, and UPS is not acting fast enough," said the union to CNN. "We are aware that UPS has installed all required second fans, and UPS is ahead of schedule in the installation of heat shields and air induction scoops for package compartment ventilation. But it's not enough."
Only a small number of vans – in the hundreds – have air conditioning. These are electric vans or special vans for rural areas that can handle gravel roads, UPS stated. However, they represent only a tiny fraction of the 94,000 UPS delivery vans on America's roads.
The number of air-conditioned vans was expected to increase slowly. Some vans can last for over 15 years. Modifying the existing fleet was expected to offer more immediate relief.
UPS informed CNN that it values worker safety and that air conditioning was never going to be the main solution to the heat problem. In addition to the heat shield and air scoops, it has installed 1,500 ice machines and 1,700 water fountains in its facilities.
It added that it also provided specialized cooling gear for UPS drivers and inside staff to wear, as well as water jugs for drivers. For inside workers, it has installed additional fans in its buildings and plans to install more.
However, air conditioning remains a rare feature in UPS vans on the road.
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Despite UPS's agreement to install air conditioning in new vans and modify existing ones, the company has yet to purchase any new air-conditioned vehicles, leaving the majority of its drivers without adequate cooling during the summer heat.
The lack of new air-conditioned vans from UPS puts the company at odds with its union, which continues to push for improved working conditions to prevent heat-related illnesses among its delivery drivers.
