SAUGUS — Teamsters Local 25 took to the UPS distribution center at 150 Salem Turnpike to rally against what the chapter’s president described as management’s “constant bullying.”
In a post on the chapter’s Facebook page, Shop Stewards Marvin Escobar and Carlos Pina of the Somerville and Franklin UPS locations, respectively, spoke of harassment from management. Other workers attending the rally from different UPS locations concurred with Escobar and Pina.
“Our members will not put up with the company’s bullying, especially when it uses discrimination to impede the work of our dedicated shop stewards,” Local 25 President Tom Mari said.
Mari said that the rally was held due to “multiple contract violations” by UPS management, which he said include “significant instances of harassment.”
According to Mari, a UPS district manager who was found guilty of harassment against Escobar by an arbitration panel in Washington, D.C. was recently promoted.
“This promotion is alarming and contradicts the principles we strive to uphold,” Mari said.
Additionally, Mari said that there was an incident in which Pina was assaulted by a different district manager last Friday.
Mari said that Local 25 is “committed to ensuring a respectful and safe working environment for all our members,” and that they will not tolerate the harassment of workers. He added that they will “pursue all available legal avenues to address these serious issues of corporate misconduct.”
“UPS is a people-led company, and we are committed to promoting a safe and rewarding work environment for all our employees,” a UPS spokesperson said via email. “We do not tolerate harassment or discrimination of any kind and provide our employees with several ways to share their concerns and issues so they are promptly addressed in the appropriate manner.”
Mari said that Local 25 is the largest of its kind in New England, representing 13,000 members, 3,500 of whom are UPS workers.
