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Over the past few months, warehouse workers at the West Charlotte UPS hub have experienced rapidly deteriorating conditions. To increase production while cutting costs, management has cut warehouse workers’ hours and increased their workload. In March, day shift workers were expected to sort through 80,000 packages in around six hours. Recently, that number has been reduced to four hours.

These productivity increases have been to the detriment of UPS workers who work under constant surveillance. As we head towards the summer months, temperatures inside trucks can be boiling at over ninety degrees. UPS workers are also not required to receive breaks.

This has led to dangerous conditions at the West Charlotte warehouse. Recently, two loaders were seriously injured in separate incidents. UPS Management was heard blaming the injured employees, claiming the injured parties were “not paying attention” and “careless.” This of course is an attempt to take the blame off of themselves despite the fact that they forced their employees to work to near the point of exhaustion inside scorching hot trucks with no breaks. These conditions created by UPS management are what created an unsafe work environment. 

North Carolina has weak labor protections, seeking corporations that exploit laborers as a cash-grab for the state. NC has no labor protections mandating breaks for meals, smoking, or rest for employees over the age of 16.

UPS workers are unionized through the Teamsters and their current contract with UPS ends on August 1st. UPSers have the ability to organize for a new contract that will guarantee more hours and improve their safety, but cannot rely on Teamsters’ leadership, as they have shown through previous contract negotiations they will sell out their rank and file when convenient for them.