Workers

Alison Green, Slate - It really bothers me when my co-workers comment negatively on whatever I may be eating at the moment. Here are three examples illustrating what I mean:

• I got a hot dog at an office outing and when I brought it back to my table, a co-worker said, “A hot dog? You don’t even know what’s in that!”

• I walked past a co-worker while I was holding a Dunkin’ Donuts bag and she said, “I hope that isn’t lunch.”

• Just today, I got a bag of chips from the vending machine and on the way back to my office, my boss, similar to the previous instance, said, “I hope that isn’t your lunch.” To which I replied, “Not all of it,” annoyed that I felt like I had to justify eating a bag of chips.

 Things like this really grind on me. I even made sure the coast was clear before going to the vending machine today, particularly because I didn’t want to deal with anyone’s commentary on what I was eating. I’m an adult and if you don’t approve of what I’m eating, I really think you should keep it to yourself.

Guardian - [UPS] dark aluminum package vans can amplify outdoor heat, with workers having recorded temperatures over 120F (49C) in the vehicles. The heat is not merely uncomfortable but also dangerous, with drivers suffering heatstroke on the job each summer and incidents turning fatal in some cases. Pacic has seen these dangers in his own region: this month, a UPS driver was hospitalized after getting into an accident while experiencing heat exhaustion, union officials say. And last August, Chris Begley, a 28-year UPS veteran, suffered a medical emergency while driving in 103F heat. He died four days later.

Amid spiking temperatures last summer, 340,000 unionized UPS workers made heat a key issue during labor negotiations with their employer. They secured a major win when, as part of a new union contract, the company agreed that each of the iconic chocolate-brown package vans it purchased after 1 January would include air conditioning – part of a commitment to equip 28,000 package cars with air conditioning by the contract’s end on 31 July 2028.