UPS hounds a driver

April 21, 2015

I FEEL a great need to disclose what had occurred at UPS in West Springfield, Massachusetts, recently.

Early one Monday morning, a good friend of mine was driving his UPS package car on Route 5 in Holyoke. He was going the posted speed limit of 45 miles per hour (verified by the GPS in his car). He had the green light and was clearing the intersection (looking left, right, left) when suddenly he was struck in the passenger side door, which sent him into the guardrail. He struck the guardrail, which sent him into the lane and then into the other guardrail and a snow bank, where the car came to a stop, Thankfully, nobody was injured.

The following day, I heard about what happened. I learned of the accident when I arrived at work and the crushed package car was by the walk path to the building. This is the only way we can arrive at and depart from the building. I stopped at our shop to ask the mechanics what happened. They described what happened to me, and that their main concern was to get that car towed out of there as soon as possible. They didn't want to embarrass the driver by what happened, with all the other drivers driving by to report to their shifts.

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When I asked about why the car was on display for all to see, they told me that it was a management decision. By this time, everyone knew who it was and what had happened. Also, spray-painted on the damaged car was "Eye Lead Time?" and "clear intersection?" along with other sayings that appeared to be related to what might have happened.

After hearing all this, I phoned the driver that night, just to be sure that he was indeed okay. He told me he was, and the only thing that bothered him was the fact that he kept reliving it in his head, and couldn't sleep without jumping out of a sound sleep to relive it once again. He also told me that there was a question of whether he had the green light. The person who hit him pointed the blame at the UPS driver.

The UPS driver was eight weeks away from achieving the "25-year circle of honor." That means that he hadn't had an avoidable accident in 25 years of driving in all conditions.

As I stated earlier, thankfully, nobody was physically injured. I can't say the same for psychological injuries.

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After the accident, my friend was put on another shift, which meant he was forced to pass his damaged car with all the safety slogans written on it, twice a day. (The package car was also positioned over a storm drain, which allowed any leaking fluid to drain away.) After some time, the investigation and public humiliation, ridicule, shame and harassment was complete. He was now told he had to serve a suspension. That seems to be a lot of power in the employer's hands--judge, jury, prosecution and executioner.

I asked a member of the management team why the package car was dragged to the sidewalk and put on display. His response was that it was a learning symbol. I asked if there was any consideration toward the driver's feelings.

I also asked him if he knew what PTSD was. PTSD is defined on WedMD as among only a few mental illnesses that are caused by a disturbing outside event. Many Americans experience individual traumatic events ranging from car and airplane accidents, to sexual assault and domestic violence. Simply put, PTSD is a state in which you "can't stop remembering."

I've been a UPSer for over 34 years and simply can't get past how my friend was treated. I have no idea if this is the action of an overzealous manager or the new corporate norm. Please help make sure that this awful treatment happens to nobody else at this company that I helped to build to the greatness it is today.
David Roy, Ludlow, Massachusetts

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