Texan union stands strong against corporation's neglectful worker treatment.

Texas UPS Driver Crashes Due to Heat Exhaustion: Union Calls for Accountability, Blasts Company's Neglect for Employee Safety

Another day, another case of corporate greed trampling over the wellbeing of its employees. This time, a Texas UPS driver's life hangs in the balance due to the company's flagrant disregard for worker safety.

A Disturbing Incident

A UPS driver from North Texas crashed on Texas Highway 121 on Friday after leaving a McKinney facility. The incident has brought to light the appalling way UPS treats its employees, with their unions rising up to demand change.

Teamsters Local 767, the UPS drivers' union, took to social media to expose the truth, posting:

"This is UNACCEPTABLE #peopleoverpackages."

The post included a video taken by witness Henry Huynh, who recounted the terrifying details to NBC News:

"When he swerved, he went over the grass median and went onto oncoming traffic. And then all of a sudden [there was a] boom, he hits a tree."

Union Exposes UPS's Negligence

David Reeves, the principal officer of Teamsters Local 767, spoke out, revealing that the driver had been suffering from heat-related symptoms and should never have been forced to get behind the wheel:

"He unfortunately succumbed to those heat-related injuries and passed out behind the wheel."

Reeves divulged that the driver, based in Longview, started feeling ill and vomited after leaving McKinney at noon. Despite this, his manager instructed him to turn back and drive to McKinney, directly causing the crash.
Union reps are outraged, asserting that UPS's heat safety protocols were ignored and that the manager's response was criminal. Reeves told NBC News:

"There are steps in there, in my opinion, and in the event, they were followed correctly we would be looking at a different outcome right now."

This isn't an isolated incident. The union post adds:

"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."

A Tragic Deja Vu

Hauntingly, this incident comes exactly one year after a similar tragedy. In August 2022, Chris Begley, a McKinney UPS driver, passed out from heat exhaustion while driving, and died four days later. His wife, Neysa Lambeth, is still reeling from the preventable loss:

"He had no idea what was going on; he was very confused, and nobody sent him to the [hospital]. I don’t understand that. I will never understand that."

Lambeth's confusion turned to anger as she learned of UPS's response to the latest incident:

"They’re having their drivers drive themselves in after a heat event? That’s insane... I don’t know how they can fix it, but they need to fix it because people are dying."

David Reeves echoed her anger, demanding UPS take responsibility and prioritize the safety of their drivers and the public.

A Pattern of Disregard for Human Life

UPS has a disturbing track record when it comes to employee safety. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) fined the McKinney facility $62,000+ for Begley's death, proving that UPS's neglect is lethal.

UPS provided NBC News with a generic statement, doing little to address the issue:

"We are aware of an incident involving our driver in McKinney, TX. We care deeply about his safety and well-being. We are working with authorities to investigate and defer to them for questions."

When will UPS stop putting profits over people?

Sources:

• Teamsters Local 767 Facebook Post
• FOX4 News
• NBCDFW