The United Parcel Service’s self-proclaimed “appropriate and justifiable action” of firing nearly 250 employees sparked protests outside its Maspeth facility Friday with elected officials and union leaders who thought otherwise.

Disputes arose after UPS fired Jairo Reyes, a company driver for 24 years, last month. Workers with Teamsters Local 804 argued that Reyes was not given a proper termination hearing, as stated in his contract, and 248 of them walked out on the job for about 90 minutes in protest at their Maspeth site Feb. 26. Their employer used that same contract as a means to threaten the workers with pink slips for violating their legal agreement.

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