
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, June 5, 1993                   TAG: 9306050207
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: A-6   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Journal of Commerce
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

UPS DRIVERS MAY BE NEXT

The level of work-related stress felt by drivers at United Parcel Service has reached such dangerous levels that it could provoke violent outbursts like those that have plagued the U.S. Postal Service, according to a study commissioned by the Teamsters union.

The study by the Illinois Health Hazard Evaluation Program at the University of Illinois was released this week, less than two months before a July 31 deadline for UPS and the Teamsters to negotiate a new collective-bargaining agreement.

It drew an angry response from Atlanta-based UPS, which operates a package-sorting hub in Roanoke. Company spokeswoman Susan Rosenberg said UPS was first told of the study during contract talks last week.

Teamsters President Ron Carey, a former UPS employee, made no secret of his desire to time the study's release with the contract talks, saying, "It's the appropriate time to do it."

Teamsters have long complained about the high-stress atmosphere at UPS, which requires its drivers to meet rigid, precisely calibrated pickup and delivery schedules. This is the first time, however, that the issue has been chronicled in an independent study. Teamsters officials say they have drafted language relating to stress and hope to include it in the new contract.

The report, based on interviews with 317 UPS package-car drivers at four locations, found their level of stress was higher than 91 percent of U.S. workers. The drivers cited the "frequent and overbearing" presence of supervisors on their routes, harsh punishment for late or missed deliveries and intense pressure from supervisors to work longer hours.

by CNB