coronavirus
Workers Say UPS Not Doing Enough To Protect Them From Coronavirus
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UPS employees say one of Louisville’s largest private employers is violating city and state rules intended to prevent the spread of coronavirus by not enforcing social distancing. They also say the company is not providing adequate protective gear. Concerns are heightened after an employee at the UPS Worldport, the Louisville-based global shipping hub, died over the weekend.
WDRB first reported the employee’s death on Monday, and said several employees and a family member confirmed he had been diagnosed with coronavirus. UPS said it would not confirm cases of coronavirus due to “medical privacy laws” — and employees say they haven’t been given any information, either. Three employees who work at two different UPS facilities said they first heard about the death on the news.
“I don’t even know what my risk is, because I’m not being told anything,” said one Worldport employee, who asked not to be named to protect her job.
This employee said her whole job is done from a computer, and she has asked to work from home, but has been told that is not possible.
Hi, I’m Jasmine Demers, a reporter for KyCIR covering issues related to youth and social services. I’m also a corps member with Report For America, a national program that places journalists into local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues and communities.