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Teamsters Local 25 Hits Back at UPS Harassment
Management bullying against UPS Teamsters has consequences – especially when locals aggressively enforce the contract.
At this month’s National Grievance Panel, Teamsters Local 25 called the company to the mat for its harassment of Shop Steward Marvin Escobar in Somerville, Mass. The result was a decision in the union’s favor for Escobar’s grievance case.
“This win is not just for me but for all of the members,” Escobar said. “It sends a strong message to the company that they can’t get away with disrespecting us or preventing shop stewards like me from doing our jobs and advocating for our co-workers.”
In February 2023, UPS District Manager Kevin Thibert assembled a meeting of drivers to discuss layoffs at the Somerville facility. Brother Escobar was present in the meeting as a union representative on behalf of the other drivers, but Thibert refused to take his questions and responded with hostility to Escobar’s presence in the meeting.
Thibert attempted to silence Escobar, an elected shop steward and former Marine who grew up in the U.S., using dismissive language with racist undertones.
“Having grown up as a Latino, I had experienced that tone and attitude before that says your family doesn’t belong here. I instantly knew Thibert was discriminating against me,” Escobar said.
Escobar immediately filed a grievance after the incident and included statements from six other drivers who witnessed the incident.
“This victory for the union is a lesson for abusive UPS managers and supervisors everywhere,” said Local 25 Business Agent Peter Alvarado, who argued the case at the National Panel. “We made it clear to the company that Teamsters can win when we take a hardline against harassment.”
“Our members will not put up with this company’s bullying, especially when it uses discrimination to impede the work of our dedicated shop stewards,” said Tom Mari, President of Local 25 and Secretary-Treasurer of Joint Council 10. “I commend Brother Alvarado and Brother Escobar for their persistence and determination with this case. Let this victory serve as a reminder to UPS that Teamsters will not tolerate harassment and we will hit back at the company every time they violate our members’ Article 37 rights.”