UPS and UPS Freight will pay up to ten days of paid leave to Teamsters who are diagnosed with COVID-19, living with someone with COVID-19, or have been quarantined by a government agency, medical professional or UPS.
Management had previously announced that workers affected by the Coronavirus would only be granted unpaid leave.
More than 15,000 Teamsters signed a petition from UPS Teamsters United protesting the company’s failure to provide paid leave or address hazardous unsanitary conditions. We made our voices heard!
UPS has reached an agreement with the Teamsters to pay workers up to two weeks (10 days) of paid leave at the worker’s daily guarantee if you are:
- diagnosed with COVID-19
- living with someone with COVID-19, or
- quarantined by a government agency, medical professional or UPS
The company will make regular pension and health and welfare contributions for these hours of paid leave.
To apply for the emergency paid leave, fill out the Emergency Leave Employee Request Form and email it to [email protected]
The approval process will take 5-7 business days from the time the email is submitted. To ensure no delays, it’s important to accurately fill out the form completely.
Under the agreement, UPSers can use all sick days, vacation days, and personnel days after the 10 days of paid leave are exhausted.
After you have exhausted your ten days of fully-paid leave, you can use paid time off or you can apply for short-term disability benefits. If an employee self-quarantines, uses paid time off (PTO), and is later diagnosed with COVID-19, the company will re-populate the Paid-Time-Off up to the 80/35 hours.
There will be no discipline for absenteeism due to COVID-19 related issues.
UPS Freight has also reached an agreement covering these issues.
Teamcare Approves Temporary Disability Benefits
Teamsters covered by Teamcare are eligible for Short-Term Disability Benefits if they are under a physician’s care or have been advised by a physician, Teladoc or state agency to self-quarantine.
Teamcare short-term disability benefits for provide 60 percent of average weekly base pay up to $500 per week for up to 26 weeks, and includes continued health benefits.
UPSers who work in New Jersey or Rhode Island should apply for temporary disability benefits through the state programs.
UPS Teamsters who are covered by other Teamster plans should contact their locals or benefit funds.
Layoffs
Package Division Director Denis Taylor told Teamster officials on a conference call today that he expects large-scale layoffs at UPS during the COVID-19 pandemic due to commercial closures. The increase in residential delivery will not offset the decline in the company’s core business, Taylor said.
Unsanitary Conditions
UPS Teamsters and local unions continue to demand that UPS address unsafe and unsanitary conditions. Neither Hoffa nor Denis Taylor had any comment on this issue.
