Union blames UPS for driver passing out behind the wheel amid high heat

A union representing UPS workers in Texas says a heat-related illness caused a driver to pass out behind the wheel of a company truck last week in McKinney, Texas.

Teamsters Local 767 said the driver survived a crash after losing consciousness at the wheel. The driver was released from the hospital, the union said.

"The company continues to place packages over people," the union said in a Facebook post. "This is the third incident in the McKinney building alone. Do not trust the company to do the right thing for your health and safety."

According to the National Weather Service, McKinney reached a high of 101 degrees on Friday.

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In 2023, UPS announced it reached an agreement with Teamsters to provide air conditioning in all newly purchased small package delivery vehicles starting in 2024. This was considered a big win for UPS drivers. A change.org petition started in 2018 had over 1 million signatures urging UPS to install air conditioning in delivery trucks.

UPS said it has also agreed to other measures to help keep drivers in non-air-conditioned trucks cool. The shipping company said last year it would 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 would also be retrofitted into existing vehicles.

In 2019, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration fined UPS $13,260 after an employee suffered heat-related injuries near its Riviera Beach, Florida, facility. OSHA said the driver became ill after the heat index exceeded 99 degrees.

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Last week's incident occurred nearly a year after a Texas man reportedly died from extreme heat after driving a UPS truck. Chris Begley's widow Neysa Lambeth told KTVT-TV that not enough has changed in the last year.

"I spent the entire day yesterday bawling my eyes out. I couldn't believe it was happening again," she told the station.

"The feedback I've received from some of the drivers has said nothing changed," she added. "It's got to change. These guys are dying. And families are going through what I've been through in the past year and it's horrific."

UPS issued a statement to Scripps News.

"We are aware of an incident involving our driver in McKinney, TX. We care deeply about his safety and well-being. We can confirm the driver received minor medical treatment and went home. We continue to work with authorities to investigate and defer to them for questions," it said.