2 people shot dead at UPS facility in Toulouse, France

[Failure Boy]

This morning, an OSP driver killed his boss & his boss' son during the morning operations in the UPS center of Toulouse, in the south west of France.

The guy was quitting his job today. He came at work with a hunting gun.

A major part, if not all, of October 30th operations were cancelled at this center, if I'm not wrong...as the UPS facility was the crime scene.

Seems like a complex work relation that ended up in a tragedy.
Could have happened in any other company...

Thoughts go to all those OSP & UPS drivers & people who were there when it happened.

Sad ****.

 

[BLACKBOX]

Our hearts go out to the family of the two who got gunned down. There is no words to explain how senseless this was. Lastly, how does one get a hunting rifle pass security?

 

[stevetheupsguy]

Our hearts go out to the family of the two who got gunned down. There is no words to explain how senseless this was. Lastly, how does one get a hunting rifle pass security?

Security, what's that?

 

[brownrodster]

pass security?

You mean the white lines they paint for you to walk in?

A bum could sleep in our package cars on the weekend. We have no security.

UPS brand of militant management obviously didn't work in this situation. This mother went parcel.

 

[rod]

France? ---- of all places

 

[BLACKBOX]

We actually have a guy in a booth that monitors cars going in and out. Thats the closet thing to security we have here, not to mention that he's about 70 years old.

 

[rod]

We actually have a guy in a booth that monitors cars going in and out. Thats the closet thing to security we have here, not to mention that he's about 70 years old.

Actually I know 2 dozen guys between 60 and 80 that could put the red dot right between someones eyes at 100 yards----------and wouldn't be afraid to do it given the right circumstances. Better find out if he is a 70 year old Veteran or hunter or both before you give him any static

 

[dilligaf]

I don't even know what to say. This is sooo sad.....................




come on guys, keep it on track here........................

 

[BLACKBOX]

Actually I know 2 dozen guys between 60 and 80 that could put the red dot right between someones eyes at 100 yards----------and wouldn't be afraid to do it given the right circumstances. Better find out if he is a 70 year old Veteran or hunter or both before you give him any static

You know I asked...he was ex-Army Infantry Vietnam Vet. This guy could pass for a Lee Emery look-a-like. Funny as hell and a hopeless romantic, ladies around here love this man.

O.K. sorry...not taking anything away from the O.P.'s tragic news.

 

[Failure Boy]

We actually have a guy in a booth that monitors cars going in and out. Thats the closet thing to security we have here, not to mention that he's about 70 years old.

Toulouse is a middle-size center, which would equal to "small" center by US standards...
I guess security there = a guy or two in a booth.

The OSP driver was driven at work by his wife...
At some point, she must have noticed something wrong...I get the feeling that the lady too is up for a very long time in prison.

According to police investigation so far :
- the OSP driver used to be the boss of the family-size OSP company.
- he sold his business to that new boss who hired him, to keep an eye on the business & the 20 drivers.
- he ended up being overworked & quitted
- he supposedly delivered some remote area called Ariège, close to the Spanish border & Pyrénées mountains

 

[Failure Boy]

Quite surprising as we're not really used to killings in school/workplace over here....
We're much more into "suicide at work", actually.

 

[UPS UK]

Security, what's that?

To be fair who expects a guy who's a driver not yet finished to walk in and off his boss? No security can prevent a nutter that works for them. UPS have the open door policy... Its their right to do that.

I'd blame the push on driver leads in the UK.

 

[UPSviking]

To be fair who expects a guy who's a driver not yet finished to walk in and off his boss? No security can prevent a nutter that works for them. UPS have the open door policy... Its their right to do that.

I'd blame the push on driver leads in the UK.

You are right on the first one, but i hardly see the UK sales leads playing any role in the life of French osp´s.....

R.I.P.

 

[UPS UK]

You are right on the first one, but i hardly see the UK sales leads playing any role in the life of French osp´s.....

R.I.P.

My apols... it was meant in a way as a comparison. UPS put stress on their employees all the way through the system in the UK. Drivers have their routes to plan according to what drops they have, if they are cover drivers they need to learn the routes and put a few extra hours on their day to get around. Then some genius in an office says you HAVE to pull in 10-20-30 driver leads per week and log them. More hours on their day. Bonus linked to timed drops that if you miss them you are in trouble too. What I am trying to say is that if they have the same system in France, working to the same imposed stress levels and being pushed all the time you can see how a person can snap. One possible scenario could be this... The driver could have a young family of his own... The driver could be looking at being out of work for Christmas at a time when works not easy to come by in Europe. The driver might have done his best and failed only to be let go. We get these orders from above and carry them out with a threat of unemployment if we don't. The people above need to understand that we have limits, but the UPS way is to stretch you to them to see what you can do.

This is a case where limits have been stretched and the individual has snapped. I am devastated for the family of the depot manager and his son, but his family will never really know why it happened. If the above conditions sound familiar in your part of UPS let me know, it'd be good to compare. We have gone from wrapping individuals in cotton wool to threatening them with their job if they fail. If UPS continue down this road it WILL happen again. Another Toulouse, another town but the same cause and reason.

 

[UPSviking]

I agree with you that the pressure is mounting, at our former Scandinavian heaven the pressure is on as well (no timed bonus here).

But at the end of the day it´s just an job, and my bet is that guy was just an timebomb that would have gone of sooner or later anyway.

I think our American buddys have had the pressure on for years, the reason we are felling the heat now, atleast in my opinion, is that all the managers we have comming back from the states, where they have been trained in the US way of doing things.

At my center the accident policy and warning policy is the same as in the states, even if it violates our local work law.

 

[Failure Boy]

I am devastated for the family of the depot manager and his son

Just to make it clear : The OSP driver shot his own boss (the OSP boss was 60 or so) & the son's boss (who might be the leam leader or just driver for that OSP company, whatever).

A work relation tragedy that took place in the UPS center at 7.00 AM.

 

[UPS UK]

I agree with you that the pressure is mounting, at our former Scandinavian heaven the pressure is on as well (no timed bonus here).

But at the end of the day it´s just an job, and my bet is that guy was just an timebomb that would have gone of sooner or later anyway.

I think our American buddys have had the pressure on for years, the reason we are felling the heat now, atleast in my opinion, is that all the managers we have comming back from the states, where they have been trained in the US way of doing things.

At my center the accident policy and warning policy is the same as in the states, even if it violates our local work law.

I agree. I have been in sales over 20 years though and have known pressure much worse than UPS can give. They promote from within even in Business Development. Perhaps not the best policy for sales. I am happy with my results, 19th in europe for ISE's in my first full year in a not too busy part of the uk. Its earned me 1/4 coverage of London for the Olympic games till after 2012- which i am sure you all heard about at work. Many problems are caused by the SPIN they teach managers. Its a psychological tool that should not be given in part to attain results. They do not think about the adverse effects its has nor do they teach managers how to deal with them.

 

[UPS UK]

Just to make it clear : The OSP driver shot his own boss (the OSP boss was 60 or so) & the son's boss (who might be the leam leader or just driver for that OSP company, whatever).

A work relation tragedy that took place in the UPS center at 7.00 AM.

Not sure what they pay OSP's in France but I have one that covers most of my area and they get around 1 euro per parcel.

I thought it was just an OSP driver, not OSP setup as well. It could have been a long running feud. The French do not forget things -as you know. Because they are not direct employees of UPS does not mean they worth any less as human beings. They still drive the brown vans with our logo. (In England they do anyhow).

 

[Catatonic]

UPS have the open door policy... Its their right to do that.

open door policy - This does not literally mean having open doors.

UPS open door policy means that anyone in the company has the right to talk to anyone at any level in the company about a problem, an idea or anything basically. One is expected to talk to one's immediate supervisor/manager first unless the issue is that person.

 

[UPS UK]

open door policy - This does not literally mean having open doors.

UPS open door policy means that anyone in the company has the right to talk to anyone at any level in the company about a problem, an idea or anything basically. One is expected to talk to one's immediate supervisor/manager first unless the issue is that person.

Cheers Hoaxster - I'll rephrase that. They have the right to approach their managers about "...a problem, an idea.." etc so with there not being a massive chain of command in depots it would not be seen as suspicious by a security person for a driver to approach their manager. I was referring to the O/D policy in this sense, not literally. In BD we have the O/D policy thoroughly explained but when we find a flaw in something its amazing how many doors are actually closed