how can we beat a company like this

upsers22.3

Well-Known Member
UPS FACT PAGE
Data compiled from Department of Labor, various media stories, Aaron Freeman, and the AFL/CIO Website

INJURY STATISTIC'S
  • On average one UPS employee is killed on the job each month
  • Over 60,000 UPS employees are injured on the job annually
  • Thousands of injuries go unreported due to threats and intimidation from UPS management
  • According to the National Academy of Science: The national injury rate is 8 injuries per 100 employees, or 8:100
  • UPS’s injury rate is 15:100 employees
  • Into the 90’s UPS was the highest fined company by OSHA with over 1300 citations, 1/3 of those were “serious” in nature
  • In 1994 in order to avoid a contempt ruling in Federal court UPS was fined $3 million for their repeated failure to comply with the Government mandated Hazardous Material Spill Program
  • According to a Cornell University study-Former UPS workers missed an average of 275 workdays A PIECE due to injuries sustained at UPS
  • UPS pays out over $1 million A DAY in worker compensation claims
  • OSHA receives more complaints from workers at UPS than from any other company
  • UPS has an occupational injury rate 3 times that of the transportation industry
  • UPS has one of the worst HAZMAT violation records in the industry
  • Young, new workers are becoming disabled for life at an alarming rate from injuries received while at UPS
  • UPS drivers lead the industry in alcohol and substance abuse associated with stress at UPS
  • UPS drivers rank in the top 9% of most stressed adults in the nation
  • 1.8 million worker suffer workplace injuries, 600,000 of those injuries are “ergonomic related” such as repetitive motion, and carpal tunnel syndrome
  • Between 1972 and 1996 UPS spent over $4.6 million for fines levied against them
  • 85% of the injuries at UPS are “ergonomic” in nature
  • UPS raised the weight limit of its packages from 50lbs to 150lbs, which injury rates increased as well
  • The average value of a UPS workers life is $5,000
  • In Chicago a brand new employee (described as barely more than a "boy") serving his 30 day probation died of heat exhaustion while unloading a truck during one of Chicago's heat waves. He was required to meet the standard of unloading 2000 packages per hour in order to make probation. OSHA fined the company $5000.
  • Packages presently can weigh up to 150 pounds each. The company has refused to bargain over weight limits, reserving the right to require drivers to unload alone packages that could run 200 or more pounds. When challenged, management told the union that if the driver needed help, s/he could ask the customer to assist. Young, inexperienced workers are becoming disabled for life from injuries received at UPS, often their first real job.
  • UPS has consistently stonewalled union demands for appropriate safety equipment such as decent seatbelts, seats, and tires, and has refused to retire from their fleet trucks that have only single cylinder brakes.
  • The EEOC has filed a class action suit against UPS for violating the rights of disabled workers. Workers who suffer eye injury are entitled to be transferred to other jobs, but UPS has refused or failed to accommodate their disabilities.
  • UPS has a rate of occupational injury that is three times that of the transportation industry.
  • The National Coalition on Ergonomics, an employer association has worked to prevent OSHA from adopting standards intended to cut down on repetitive motion injuries. Among the main corporate opponents of sensible repetitive motion injury regulations has been UPS, which is among the leading violators of OSHA regulations.
  • The average penalty for a serious violation is $709, according to "Death on the Job: The Toll of Neglect," a new report by the AFL-CIO.

  • Political influence vs. safety statistics:
  • Ergonomic injuries account for all serious workplace injuries and cost society approximately $50 billion each year
  • Ergonomic injuries affect women the most who make up less than 50% of the workforce, but account for 1/3 of the total workplace injuries
  • UPS facility in Lenexa Kansas was fined $140,000 by OSHA for deplorable working conditions that were resulting in an injury rate of almost 20:100 employees, thus began UPS’s venture into the ergonomic arena battling OSHA, and the public interest
  • UPS sued OSHA in Federal court over the “Lenexa Kansas citation”, and the Federal judge ruled that since no “ergonomic” standard existed for workers all citations were dropped, and OSHA began working on ergonomic standards
  • Head of OSHA during President Bush (’92), Dorothy Strunk, drafted language protecting American workers from ergonomic injuries, and begun to fight and force companies to incorporate these provisions to protect American workers from further ergonomic injuries
  • UPS realized the monetary cost to their business would cost their shareholders $3 billion, they headed the 300 company members of the National Association of Manufacturers Coalition on Ergonomics to battle OSHA, and the “ergonomic issue”
  • 40 UPS drivers sued UPS in Federal court for ergonomic injuries from the design flawed computer clipboard
  • UPS joins ranks with US Congressman (R) Peter Hoekstra, with a former U.S Attorney named Joseph DiGenova who drafted the ergonomic defeating language in their successful attempt to destroy the Ergonomics Bill
  • 1995, UPS’s PAC held 55 “meet and greet” sessions with members of Congress, spending about $450 per member, and then direct contributions of $4,550-just under the legal $5,000 limit
  • 16 out of 17 members on the House Appropriations Subcommittee looking at these rules who attended UPS’s “meet and greet” event voted for UPS
  • (R) U.S Congressman Ballenger oversaw OSHA-drafted a bill to reduce OSHA’s power and remove any enforcement ability
  • UPS donated $24,000 to Ballenger
  • (R) U.S Congressman Bonilla-drafted appropriations rider to prevent OSHA from collecting data from employees on ergonomic injuries
  • UPS donated $14,250 to Bonilla
  • UPS sued OSHA again in Federal court to prevent OSHA from collecting further ergonomic injury data, which 85% of UPS workplace injuries are ergonomic in nature
  • From 1991 to 1996 UPS contributed over $7.6 million to members of Congress
  • 1993-94 UPS’s PAC was the largest contributor to congressional candidates-$2.65 million
  • 1995-96 UPS gave over $575,000 to supporters of “Ballenger Bill”
  • UPS handed out more than $3 million for the 2000 elections with 73% going to Republicans
  • Teamster General President James P. Hoffa joins UPS in refusing to address skyrocketing injury rates (refer to news article enclosed)
  • Teamster General President James P. Hoffa appoints OSHA killer hired gun, Joseph DiGenova, to the IRB overseeing union corruption, which the position is paid for by members dues money to the tune of $100,000 a year plus a union retirement
  • UPS was found to have illegally contributed to James P. Hoffa’s election campaign in 1996
  • Teamsters General President James P. Hoffa was a former labor attorney representing UPS and ATA member, Yellow Freight against UPS employees
  • UPS hired Eugene Scalia, son of U.S Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, as a lobbyist to defeat ergonomics
  • UPS attempted to endow a chair at the University of Washington and fill it with their bought M.D, and hired consultant, Stanley Bigos, who testified against the ergonomics standard in the House\
  • UPS and their Coalition is lobbying for the for the application of “cost benefit analysis” or worker death to cost to profit ratio
  • UPS claimed publicly that the national ergonomic standard would cost its shareholders $3 billion
  • UPS was the top contributor in the 2000 US Presidential Election- transportation sector: UPS $3,135,569
  • Ergonomic injuries affect mainly lower wage scale workers, which is comprised mostly of minority and female workers
  • UPS was the #1 political contributor while being a member of the NAMCE, the 300 company coalition headed by UPS
  • UPS hires former OSHA head, DOROTHY STRUNK, as a consultant to attack and defeat the very language she drafted to protect workers from ergonomic injuries. She’s paid over $60,000 as a UPS lobbyist (see documents enclosed)
  • President Bush (’00) returns the favor to UPS and defeats the ergonomic bill affecting millions of American workers

    “Not a day goes by without a major fraud being reported in the mainstream media, with $100 million frauds coming around once a month or so. Corporate fraud costs the nation hundreds of billions. Compare that to street crime and burglary, which, according to the FBI, costs the nation $3.8 billion a year.” SOURCE~ Russell Mokhiber is editor of the Washington, D.C.-based Corporate Crime Reporter. Robert Weissman is editor of the Washington, D.C.-based Multinational Monitor.


  • UPS’s SOCIAL AND BUSINESS PRACTICES
  • Annual turnover rate at UPS is 400%
  • UPS’s association with National Welfare to Work campaign has hired more than 50,000 welfare recipients since the program began in 1997. Very few of those people remained by years end respectively.
  • UPS receives incentives for hiring these people into “poverty” jobs
  • Average weekly salary of the “welfare to work” employees was $104 after taxes per week. ($8.00 hr X 3.0 hour guarantee X 5 days – 25% with holdings and - $25 in union dues)
  • Work place abuse, unsafe working conditions, and no hope for a FULL TIME job cited as reasons for leaving UPS
  • UPS is routinely sued by the EEOC and various other Civil and Human rights agencies for violations, and discrimination
  • RAINBOW PUSH Coalition is well known for attacking companies who violated minority’s civil rights, but it seems that UPS is a trading partner on their Board, and now has nothing to worry about from RAINBOW PUSH
  • UPS’s main public relations firm, Edelman Public Relations Worldwide, is the volunteer firm for the UN Global Compact. The Compact is hoped to be a PR coup for “companies with tarnished public images to show to show their support for democracy and human rights” without ACTUALLY having to change their “practices
  • UPS is being sued in two separate class actions from previous customers who were over charged for insurance, which stems from UPS’s $1.8 billion tax evasion suit
  • UPS was sued in two separate suits involving wage fraud regarding meal issues of drivers in New Jersey and Washington state, which have cost UPS employees an estimated $3 billion
  • Monopolistic practices: UPS is routinely suing foreign governments for “unfair, and monopolistic practices”, while expanding exponentially around the world, and at the same time keeping foreign companies out of the American market
  • Workers at UPS who report unsafe working conditions, unsafe and illegal equipment, payroll fraud, and corruption are harassed and discharged often without help from the Hoffa controlled Teamsters union clearly in violation of Federal law
 

eplaner

Member
Plus All supervisor r trained to tell lies
90% of wat they say r lies
they don't give a **** about us..


What we need from the company is RESPECT!
 

brownedout

Well-Known Member
Great info 22.3, Thank you. First off you can't look at it as beating the company. Every person however should get what they're entitled to, and willing to fight for. There are lots of posts on this site of co-workers both filing and winning grievances. Know the contract, be involved with your local. As for injuries and dangerous situations same thing. Know your body, know and recognize whats safe in your truck, on the road , in your work area. Take their safety jargon and throw it right back at them. LITERALLY! If the first mgr. doesn't listen keep working your way up. Let them know what safety issue is being violated and why. REFUSE to do anything that you feel will put you at risk of injury. Ups people are taught to value, and are HELD ACCOUNTABLE for their own personal safety, I've been repeating it upwards of 3 times a day since I came across it almost 15 months ago.
 

PobreCarlos

Well-Known Member
A couple of comments here. The first thing that jumped out at me was the claim in the "UPS'S Social and Business Practices" section of "Annual turnover rate at UPS is 400%" That claim has been posted on several sites over the years, and I think has its roots in a poisonous "tell-all" book written by an embittered ex-employee. Of course, any thinking individual could quickly deduce that it's absolute B.S; I mean does ANYONE truly believe that UPS fills EACH AND EVERY POSITION an average of 4 TIMES each year??? But still the "fact" finders keep spewing that figure, hoping, I guess, that such feces will stick on the minds of the nieve.

Beyond that, let's take another example from the "statistics" presented, say the one of "On average one UPS employee is killed on the job each month". Just how significant a number is that? Well, think for a minute; UPS has approximately 430,000 employees. That figure is MORE than the number of INHABITANTS in cities such as Oakland, Miami, Tulsa, Minneapolis, and about fifty more of the 100 LARGEST cities in the United States. Then multiply UPS "on job" "kill rate" by three or so, to make-up for the fact that UPSers on average probably spend a third of so of their time at the company. Then think how that thirty-six of so deaths compare with the deaths of *ANY* of the cities mentioned above. Hell, compared statistically to living in the OUTSIDE world, working at UPS is relatively healthy and life sustaining! Can ANYONE come up with a city of over 400,000 inhabitants that has only 36 of its residents killed a year? Good luck!.

In truth, this whole "UPS Fact Page" seems filled with "facts" like the above; some outright lies (like "400% turnover"), while others are examples of advanced "shading of the truth". Granted, individuals working for the company deserve an element of respect...but I'd submit that a company that employs close to a half million workers deserves a little respect itself...and not the type of "attention" the author of this "UPS Facts" crappola piece has given it.
 

washington57

Well-Known Member
A couple of comments here. The first thing that jumped out at me was the claim in the "UPS'S Social and Business Practices" section of "Annual turnover rate at UPS is 400%" That claim has been posted on several sites over the years, and I think has its roots in a poisonous "tell-all" book written by an embittered ex-employee. Of course, any thinking individual could quickly deduce that it's absolute B.S; I mean does ANYONE truly believe that UPS fills EACH AND EVERY POSITION an average of 4 TIMES each year??? But still the "fact" finders keep spewing that figure, hoping, I guess, that such feces will stick on the minds of the nieve.

Beyond that, let's take another example from the "statistics" presented, say the one of "On average one UPS employee is killed on the job each month". Just how significant a number is that? Well, think for a minute; UPS has approximately 430,000 employees. That figure is MORE than the number of INHABITANTS in cities such as Oakland, Miami, Tulsa, Minneapolis, and about fifty more of the 100 LARGEST cities in the United States. Then multiply UPS "on job" "kill rate" by three or so, to make-up for the fact that UPSers on average probably spend a third of so of their time at the company. Then think how that thirty-six of so deaths compare with the deaths of *ANY* of the cities mentioned above. Hell, compared statistically to living in the OUTSIDE world, working at UPS is relatively healthy and life sustaining! Can ANYONE come up with a city of over 400,000 inhabitants that has only 36 of its residents killed a year? Good luck!.

In truth, this whole "UPS Fact Page" seems filled with "facts" like the above; some outright lies (like "400% turnover"), while others are examples of advanced "shading of the truth". Granted, individuals working for the company deserve an element of respect...but I'd submit that a company that employs close to a half million workers deserves a little respect itself...and not the type of "attention" the author of this "UPS Facts" crappola piece has given it.


OMG
 

toonertoo

Most Awesome Dog
Staff member
A couple of comments here. The first thing that jumped out at me was the claim in the "UPS'S Social and Business Practices" section of "Annual turnover rate at UPS is 400%" That claim has been posted on several sites over the years, and I think has its roots in a poisonous "tell-all" book written by an embittered ex-employee. Of course, any thinking individual could quickly deduce that it's absolute B.S; I mean does ANYONE truly believe that UPS fills EACH AND EVERY POSITION an average of 4 TIMES each year??? But still the "fact" finders keep spewing that figure, hoping, I guess, that such feces will stick on the minds of the nieve.

Beyond that, let's take another example from the "statistics" presented, say the one of "On average one UPS employee is killed on the job each month". Just how significant a number is that? Well, think for a minute; UPS has approximately 430,000 employees. That figure is MORE than the number of INHABITANTS in cities such as Oakland, Miami, Tulsa, Minneapolis, and about fifty more of the 100 LARGEST cities in the United States. Then multiply UPS "on job" "kill rate" by three or so, to make-up for the fact that UPSers on average probably spend a third of so of their time at the company. Then think how that thirty-six of so deaths compare with the deaths of *ANY* of the cities mentioned above. Hell, compared statistically to living in the OUTSIDE world, working at UPS is relatively healthy and life sustaining! Can ANYONE come up with a city of over 400,000 inhabitants that has only 36 of its residents killed a year? Good luck!.

In truth, this whole "UPS Fact Page" seems filled with "facts" like the above; some outright lies (like "400% turnover"), while others are examples of advanced "shading of the truth". Granted, individuals working for the company deserve an element of respect...but I'd submit that a company that employs close to a half million workers deserves a little respect itself...and not the type of "attention" the author of this "UPS Facts" crappola piece has given it.
yes the company deserves much credit, but with any company, it could improve. ALOT
 

over9five

Moderator
Staff member
Even *IF* those numbers were accurate, it means nothing because it establishes no base. We would need to know what year those numbers are from, and then a recent year to compare to. (Are they going up? Are they going down?)

Without that, the numbers mean very little.
 

beentheredonethat

Well-Known Member
My Dad used to say to me. Figures don't lie, but liars sure do figure.

Statement 1. One UPSer is killed each month on the job. - Are you including statistics where a person dies of a heart attack? Are you including when another drunk driver hits our driver in a car accident? If so, is that the fault of the company? If so, we should just go out of business and not deliver pkgs.
Statement 3: Thousands of injuries go unreported. If that is true, then how did you gather "FACTUAL" information that something went unreported? At best, that is conjecture.
Statement: Avg value of UPS life is 5K. Where did that come from? Is it from a life insurance policy, is if from what we state our costs is of hiring a new employee?
Statement: Monopolistic practices:..... at the same time keeping foreign companies out of the American market. Umm. DHL which is owned by the german government quasi agency Deutch Post did come to America. They did offered great rates, but didn't put money into their infrastructure and their quality was bad. Customers left them by choice. UPS and FDX beat them by having better service.
Statement: 40 UPS drivers sued UPS in Federal court for ergonomic injuries from the design flawed computer clipboard Unforunately, in this country anyone can sue anyone for anything. Did they win?

Statement:
OSHA receives more complaints from workers at UPS than from any other company. There are sites like this that have had messages from one union employee to another to call OSHA and report issues. Similarly the same people have also told others to call the police on UPS Supervisors who are auditing their work and following their car. So does this mean, UPS supervisors are reported to police more then mgmt from other companies???

Statement:
85% of the injuries at UPS are “ergonomic” in nature. The job we have is (paraphrasing the Planet Fitness commercial) to pick things up and put them down. Our job is repetitive, Any time you have a repetitive job ergonomics is a key point.


 

preload1

Well-Known Member
Wow UPSers22.3. What a post. You should remove the UPSers from the begining of your post name. Most people at UPS know that 22.3 is code for fulltime "lazy preloader/airdriver" or fulltime "lazy hub employee/building shift" or "lazy Twi/Midnight employee". Instead of taking all that time to "file" your grievences online why not start search the want ads? Oh yeah. There are not many jobs left where you can start part time and work your way into a lucrative career. (Lucrative means making money. I wasn't sure if you knew that 22.3). Life is tough. It's even tougher if your stupid. Good luck. You will need it.
 

air_dr

Well-Known Member
Average weekly salary of the “welfare to work” employees was $104 after taxes per week. ($8.00 hr X 3.0 hour guarantee X 5 days – 25% with holdings and - $25 in union dues)

Based on the figures listed above, the numbers simply do not compute...not to mention the fact that starting pay is $8.50, the guarantee is 3.5 hours, and, if per chance these are old numbers, union dues could not possibly be $25 per week for a rookie hub employee.

We are all bombarded with all sorts of information on every subject imaginable as we go about our lives...At least for me personally, when I am presented with a list of claims, some of which are quite extraordinary, and many of which are impossible or difficult to verify, I try to focus on the ones I can test easily enough. If those proove to be true, I will be inclined to regard the whole body of information as credible, but if those appear to be false, I will dismiss the whole thing. This is what I am inclined to do here. While the information is troubling, I am very skeptical of it. I don't believe it has much if any basis in reality...

Now that claim about one employee on average killed on the job each month... Being a UPSer, my cruiosity has been piqued as to what the number actually is...Whenever a upser has died in the line of duty, word seems to make it to the BC. I sense the statistic is more like one or two people per year. While tragic for the people involved, given the size of our company, I have felt quite safe. Does anyone have any reliable numbers? And also, any percentages? Where are the safer as well as more dangerous areas to be working?
 

washington57

Well-Known Member
air_dr i think that $104 is more or less right. new hires have to pay the initiation fee as well and union dues are a min of $25 a mon. Initiation is $25 a week until it is paid off IIRC.

I think some of the numbers are out of date but more or less accurate. In my location we have the damndest time even going 3 weeks without an injury.
 

Fenris

Well-Known Member
Even *IF* those numbers were accurate, it means nothing because it establishes no base. We would need to know what year those numbers are from, and then a recent year to compare to. (Are they going up? Are they going down?)

Without that, the numbers mean very little.


A portion of these numbers can be found in the UPS sustainability report, which can be found on UPSers.com. Some samples from the 2010 report: There were 6 fatalities, our global turnover rate is 8.1%, our DART frequency was 4.1 (down from 6.8 in 2007 and as a comparison the worst industry is nursing facilities at 9.9 and something closer to UPS, bottled water manufacturing is at 5.5 - From OSHAs web site).
 

preload1

Well-Known Member
Probably the best thing you could do is resign and join the ranks of the unemployed. You sound like on of those people who keep their mouth open and ears and mind shut. Good like in your next career. You will need it there too.
 

upsers22.3

Well-Known Member
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has ordered United Parcel Service to pay an Earth City, Mo., truck driver $111,008 in back wages, benefits, compensatory damages, punitive damages and attorney's fees.

OSHA investigated the employee's allegation that Atlanta, Ga.-based UPS terminated his employment in retaliation for his refusal to drive after raising safety concerns. OSHA's investigation found the driver was terminated after refusing to drive the vehicle because of inoperable lights on the trailer and tractor. The evidence showed the driver had a reasonable apprehension of serious injury to himself and the public. Although the driver notified UPS management of the unsafe conditions, the employer continued to order the unsafe operation of the vehicle.

"It is vital that employees be able to raise safety concerns to their employers without fear of retaliation," said Charles E. Adkins, OSHA's regional administrator in Kansas City, whose office investigated the complaint. "This order reaffirms both the right of drivers to refuse to operate vehicles when they reasonably believe it is unsafe and OSHA's commitment to taking the necessary steps to protect that right."

As a result of the investigation, OSHA has ordered UPS to pay the employee $1,858 in back wages and interest, $483.04 in hotel and mileage expenses to attend a grievance hearing, $5,000 in compensatory damages, $100,000 in punitive damages and $3,667 in attorney's fees. The employer further has been ordered to remove all disciplinary action from the employee's personnel file due to the work refusal and to provide whistleblower rights information to its workers. Either party in the case can file an appeal with the Labor Department's Office of Administrative Law Judges.

OSHA conducted the investigation under the whistleblower provisions of the Surface Transportation Assistance Act . OSHA enforces the whistleblower provisions of STAA and 16 other laws protecting employees who report violations of various securities, airline, nuclear power, pipeline, environmental, railroad, public transportation, workplace safety and health, and consumer product safety laws. Detailed information on employee whistleblower rights, including fact sheets, is available online atOffice of the Whistleblower Protection Program (OWPP).

Under the various whistleblower provisions enacted by Congress, employers are prohibited from retaliating against employees who raise various protected concerns or provide protected information to the employer or to the government. Employees who believe they have been retaliated against for engaging in protected conduct may file a complaint with OSHA.

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA's role is to assure these conditions for America's working men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, education and assistance. For more information, visit http://www.osha.gov.
 

upsers22.3

Well-Known Member
SAN FRANCISCO -- The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has ordered United Parcel Service (UPS) to immediately rehire and pay back wages, benefits, compensatory damages and $50,000 in punitive damages to a former Bay Area driver who was wrongfully terminated after he refused to drive after raising safety concerns.

A whistleblower investigation by OSHA found that UPS terminated the employee in retaliation for his refusal to work in violation of the whistleblower provisions of the Surface Transportation Assistance Act, 49 U.S.C. Section 31105 (STAA). OSHA determined that the driver was terminated after refusing to drive his vehicle because he felt it was unsafe to operate due to vision problems and poor weather conditions resulting in visibility concerns. Although the driver notified UPS management of the unsafe conditions, UPS management continued to order the unsafe operation of the vehicle. Either party in the case can file an appeal to the Labor Department's Office of Administrative Law Judges.

"It is vital that employees be able to raise safety concerns to their employers without fear of retaliation," said Ken Nishiyama Atha, OSHA's regional administrator in San Francisco, whose office investigated the complaint. "This order reaffirms both the right of drivers to refuse to operate vehicles when they reasonably believe it is unsafe and the Labor Department's commitment to taking the necessary steps to protect that right."

OSHA enforces the whistleblower provisions of 17 statutes, including STAA, designed to protect employees who report violations of various trucking, airline, railroad, nuclear power, pipeline, consumer protection, environmental and securities laws. Information about employees' rights and employers' responsibilities under the whistleblower provisions of those laws may be found on OSHA's Web site atOffice of the Whistleblower Protection Program (OWPP).

Employers are responsible for providing a safe and healthy workplace for their employees. OSHA promotes the safety and health of America's working men and women by setting and enforcing standards; providing training, outreach and education; establishing partnerships; and encouraging continual process improvement in workplace safety and health. For more information, visithttp://www.osha.gov.
 
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