When her husband, a UPS truck driver, nearly died from heatstroke, Theresa Klenk stepped in to help workers negotiate for air conditioning in all UPS trucks.
At the time, she said, no UPS drivers wanted to speak up about the increasingly brutal conditions for fear of being reprimanded.
According to UPS, drivers stop on average every three minutes — barely enough time for air-conditioning to make a dent.
This year’s record heat caused dozens of deaths, filled some hospitals to pandemic levels and prompted government warnings about avoiding extended exposure to heat.
It was a bittersweet victory for Jim and Theresa Klenk.
Persons:
Jim Klenk, Klenk, Theresa Klenk, hadn’t, Jim, Theresa, Jim didn’t, ”, Zoe Todd, Jim’s, Joe Raedle, Jordan Barab, “, Michael Dwyer, Memphis , Tennessee —, Theresa said, didn’t, weren’t, ” Theresa, Mike Blake, Sean O’Brien, doesn’t, ” — CNN’s Clare Duffy
Organizations:
New, New York CNN, UPS, Teamsters, “, CNN, Occupational Safety, Health Administration, OSHA, US Chamber of, Bureau of Labor Statistics, US Postal Service, FedEx, Amazon, Kroger, Teamster
Locations:
New York, Freehold , New Jersey, heatstroke, Miami, Texas, Memphis , Tennessee, Atlanta, ”, L.A