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UPS Workers Protest Retaliatory Mass Firings
'UPS’s actions this week were a heartless attack on drivers and their families'
Apr 04, 2014
This week, one of the largest shipping companies in the world fired 250 unionized drivers for protesting what workers say is the unjust dismissal of one of their co-workers.
In February, hundreds of United Parcel Service workers from Teamsters Local 804 in Queens, New York staged a 90-minute walk-out to protest the firing of co-worker Jairo Reyes.
This Monday, 20 of the workers who participated were fired and 230 others were told they will be next.
"UPS's actions this week were a heartless attack on drivers and their families," stated Local 804 on its website. "Local 804 will continue to work with political leaders and the public to bring UPS management to the table to reach a fair settlement."
According to Annie-Rose Strasser writing for ThinkProgress, "UPS has previously come under fire for its treatment of workers. In one instance, a pregnant employee was put on unpaid leave with no medical coverage after her doctor instructed her not to lift anything weighing more than 20 pounds."
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Sarah Lazare is web editor at In These Times. She is a former Staff Writer at Common Dreams. She comes from a background in independent journalism for publications including The Intercept, The Nation, and Tom Dispatch.
This week, one of the largest shipping companies in the world fired 250 unionized drivers for protesting what workers say is the unjust dismissal of one of their co-workers.
In February, hundreds of United Parcel Service workers from Teamsters Local 804 in Queens, New York staged a 90-minute walk-out to protest the firing of co-worker Jairo Reyes.
This Monday, 20 of the workers who participated were fired and 230 others were told they will be next.
"UPS's actions this week were a heartless attack on drivers and their families," stated Local 804 on its website. "Local 804 will continue to work with political leaders and the public to bring UPS management to the table to reach a fair settlement."
According to Annie-Rose Strasser writing for ThinkProgress, "UPS has previously come under fire for its treatment of workers. In one instance, a pregnant employee was put on unpaid leave with no medical coverage after her doctor instructed her not to lift anything weighing more than 20 pounds."
______________________
Sarah Lazare
Sarah Lazare is web editor at In These Times. She is a former Staff Writer at Common Dreams. She comes from a background in independent journalism for publications including The Intercept, The Nation, and Tom Dispatch.
This week, one of the largest shipping companies in the world fired 250 unionized drivers for protesting what workers say is the unjust dismissal of one of their co-workers.
In February, hundreds of United Parcel Service workers from Teamsters Local 804 in Queens, New York staged a 90-minute walk-out to protest the firing of co-worker Jairo Reyes.
This Monday, 20 of the workers who participated were fired and 230 others were told they will be next.
"UPS's actions this week were a heartless attack on drivers and their families," stated Local 804 on its website. "Local 804 will continue to work with political leaders and the public to bring UPS management to the table to reach a fair settlement."
According to Annie-Rose Strasser writing for ThinkProgress, "UPS has previously come under fire for its treatment of workers. In one instance, a pregnant employee was put on unpaid leave with no medical coverage after her doctor instructed her not to lift anything weighing more than 20 pounds."
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