Rep. Raul Ruiz visits El Centro UPS Depot
EL CENTRO, Calif. (KYMA) – Rep. Raul Ruiz (D-Calif.) visited El Centro Tuesday morning to tour the UPS Depot.
During the tour, he met with Teamsters Local 542 leaders and UPS employees as well as recognized the installation of new air conditioning units for delivery workers.
“We got 11 air conditioning UPS vehicles, we have swamp coolers, and we have fans,” Rep. Ruiz shared.
The upgrades followed years of advocacy and concerns from local Teamsters and a direct push from Ruiz to UPS leadership.
“Often times communities like the Imperial Valley get left behind, but I have made it my mission to not leave anybody behind or not leave anybody without,” Ruiz expressed.
For those working in the heart of the Imperial Valley, one UPS worker, Camila Corrales, said cooling is a necessary, not just in the driver’s seat, but where the cargo is stored.
Corrales, who has spent 27 years on the job, said her current route offers some relief, but said the intensity of the desert temperatures remains unforgiving.
“My route is San Diego. I have the AC [going]…once I get to San Diego, I open the windows because it’s fresh. It’s cool,” Corrales spoke.
She also shared she had heat stroke years ago.
While Ruiz applauded UPS leadership for their willingness to find a solution to this issue, he says the ultimate goal is to expand protections to competing companies.
“We’re gonna continue to make sure that all the workers, not just who at UPS, but other workers at USPS, the Postal Service of course, and all the other companies Amazon, FedEx, you name it…nobody should be driving in 115° weather,” Ruiz shared.
Congressman Ruiz is currently backing legislation to pass federal heat safety standards and require air conditioning in all delivery vehicles nationwide.
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