To My Fellow UPS Workers,
The purpose of this discussion thread is not to gripe or complain about conditions at UPS, management, the Union or for that matter anything at all about UPS. The sole purpose of this discussion thread is to discuss the following work-related issue with other employees as an initial step in engaging in some concerted activity to bring this issue up to the company as a group.
It is my hope that by addressing this issue in concert we not only be working for our own mutual aid, protection and improved working conditions, but we will be working for the benefit of any and all coworkers that may have been adversely affected by this issue.
This post is about the Inspections that are commonly referred to as Mock Keter Audits. They are usually done by company safety and health professionals.
The Teamster National Master United Parcel Service Agreement states in Article 18 Section 20.4 that the 4th listed function of the collectively bargained Union Employee Safety Committee is as follows:
4. Accompanying governmental, union, and/or Company health and safety professionals on facility inspection tours. The Employer may limit the number of bargaining unit members of the committee accompanying such an inspection tour.
In my area I have never seen any bargaining unit members accompanying these inspection tours.
Have you?
Over the years I have seen many inspections being done by company officials without any bargaining unit members accompanying them.
I wonder why, in my area at least, has the Employee Safety Committee completely neglected this critical duty to observe these inspection tours as stated in the agreement.
What are your thoughts, opinions and experience about this issue?
Sincerely.
I
The safety committees are a joke. The only reason UPS allows them, and Keter, is to keep OSHA off their backs. At one time UPS was OSHA's biggest customer. They averaged paying over a million dollars a day in fines.
OSHA was actually getting ready to shut some centers, hubs down due to safety violations. UPS had 1 choice. Let the centers, hubs get shut down or agree to an outside agency monitoring the Health and Safety Process at UPS. UPS had to show improvement and this is why the DOK and safety committees came about.
The safety committees are a joke to UPS, it keeps OSHA off their backs. They tell OSHA all about these safety committees they have in all of their buildings and about all the good they are doing in the name of safety.
Keter and their audits are another story. UPS hates paying them and hates the control Keter has over them, but put up with them to keep OSHA off their backs. The Keter audits are serious to UPS. A failed Keter audit can be referred to OSHA, and, if warranted, OSHA can shut the place down.
Last year a center in Florida miserably failed their Keter audit. They came very close to being shut down. They were given another chance to pass the Keter audit. If they failed the second time, OSHA was shutting the place down.
There are members of some safety committees that are serious in what they do, but they are a joke to UPS because they have to put up with them. Not all bad, some safety issues do get addressed and fixed, if it does not cost UPS much money. But Keter is the real deal that can shut a place down, and UPS hates it.
