It was no doubt a dumb thing to do, but I'm kinda glad the driver was defiant with the friend*'n punks. We all know that we are just big brown targets when we are out there. This at least might show other would-be thugs that we are probably not the easiest targets. There's a good chance they are gonna run into a pretty tough, strong willed guy who has had a long day; who doesn't have time and isnt in the mood to have to deal with this kind of bull
. If that thought should deter even one similar occurrence from happening in the future wouldn't that make this driver almost heroic?
And to that irritated anonymous poster; as a fellow UPSer and union brother he is a friend to all of us as well. The poster of this thread is only trying to inform people who no doubt have genuine concern for this guy and are pulling for him in his recovery.
As a safety committee member I am going to spend some time discussing this case and preventative steps that we might take to avoid being shot or otherwise mamed on the job. We each have to recognize the fact that we are indeed targets who are constantly at-risk and we can't any thing for granted. It's actually surprising to me that this doesnt happen more often. If think of the total worth of the cargo you are carrying at any given time it's a pretty good bounty for potential theives to go after. I guess that it's just easier to mugg little old ladies who are sure to not offer up any resistance at all. However, if it were to become well known that UPS drivers were strictly trained to be entirely submissive in these situations, that would cease to be the case. So, while this driver did exactly the opposite of what the company would have preffered him to do, he has earned the respect of at least one of his co-workers and I commend him for his actions.
I for one, have always been of the opinion that a company oversteps it's bounds and authority when it tells it's employees how they should handle certain sensitive situations like this one. This guy's first instinct was to say NO when confronted by wrong-doers with a difficult ethical decision. That kind of snap decision can only be made by that individual at that moment and should only be based on their own decision making formula of instinct, pricipals and whatever factors are most important to themselves. Principals that have been instilled in someone their whole lives aren't going to be reversed by simply watching some ill-conceived, low-budget training video and the suggestion that they might be strikes me as almost offensive in a way. At least thats my opinion...I could be wrong.
The point should also be made that during tough times, with the failing economy and increasing joblessness, crimes of this nature will inevitably increase as the number of broke and desperate people increases. That is one thing you can count on that never fails. I hope our customers, the entire public, appreciate that at least some UPS drivers are willing to risk their lives to protect the precious home-shopping channel purchases they've made. That poster who was terminated for stealing a cell-phone should take a page out of this drivers book. You have one guy who so despises theivery that he can't bring himself to just stand aside and let it happen even in the face of grave danger...meanwhile this other jerk is rummaging through his package car trying to find some easy loot he can take home with him. Talk about opposite ends of the moral spectrum, eh?
