Adapted from “UPS ‘Consolidating’ Rural Routes,” The Berkshire Eagle,
June 29, 2024. Used with permission.

    The Berkshire Eagle reported that the local Teamsters Union claims that United Parcel Service has cut back on its deliveries to Sandisfield and seven other small towns in Berkshire County.

    In the article, the Eagle’s Hilltown reporter, Jane Kaufman, quoted Bryan Donavan, the president of Local 404 of the Teamsters, which represents local UPS drivers, as identifying the towns affected by the “delivery routes cut by at least one day a week.”

    The report said that “UPS hasn’t identified the ZIP codes that are affected and has made no formal announcement to customers.”

    Kaufman reported that “Sandisfield business owner, Hattie White is [already] feeling [the pinch].

    “She and her husband, Billy White, have owned New Boston Crane Service & Sleds since 2012. Her parents started the business in 2008, which sells and repairs outdoor equipment, such as lawn mowers and weed whackers. It also sells snowmobiles and all-terrain vehicles.

    “White’s UPS driver alerted her to the three-delivery schedule the company implemented about a month ago in Sandisfield, but she received no formal notice. While the UPS brown box truck used to arrive Monday through Friday, the new schedule omits Tuesday and Thursday deliveries.

    “Since her business isn’t open on Mondays and UPS delivers near the end of her business day, a busted lawn mower might have to wait several days for a part, which might be sitting at UPS’ Pittsfield warehouse for part of that time. Thus far, the new schedule has delayed just a handful of jobs at her business, but White’s customers aren’t always understanding.

    “’They get angry if their parts aren’t going to be here,’ White said.

    “She talked with her driver about coming earlier in the day as a sort of work-around.

    “Then, at least, we would get our parts in the morning, and we can jump on the job the same day’” White said. ‘If we’re getting parts on a Friday or the end of the day Wednesday, it won’t be until the following day ‘til we can work on the machine.’

    “Is it costing her business? ‘Not yet,’ she said. ‘I would say it’s kind of early, but it just kind of makes for a poor taste in a customer’s mouth if you say it’s going to be there and then it’s not.’

    White worries that customers might decide to take their dollars elsewhere, perhaps to a city unaffected by the abbreviated delivery schedule.

    It’s not just hitting her business: White’s parents, who live next door to her, ordered frozen meals via UPS delivery. Having waited an extra day, the packages arrived waterlogged and went straight into the trash.”

    The report quoted a spokesman from UPS who did not identify the rural deferred program, but did say:

    “’We are consolidating deliveries in certain ZIP codes to help our drivers more efficiently serve our customers.’ The spokesman added: ‘UPS shipments to these ZIP codes will spend an additional day in transit. Customers will still have certainty about the delivery date of packages and our delivery guarantees still apply.’

    “The spokesman said it would affect ‘less than 1 percent of our deliveries every day’ and ‘critical health care deliveries using UPS Premier will not be affected.’”

    In Monterey, another town affected by the cuts in delivery service, two local businesses reported that customer service has been impacted, while businesses in Richmond and Savoy have noticed no difference yet.

    Local 404 President Donovan “told The Eagle, ‘But there’s not much we can do because it is covered under management rights.’

    “He said UPS made its determination about which towns and which days to cut from service based on efficiency. Delivery to some towns was only cut by one day a week, ‘but there are a number of routes designated for rural deferment.’

    “‘Money-saving isn’t always the same thing as efficiency,’ Donovan said. ‘I think it’s sad that a company like UPS, who has prided themselves on service and dedication to their customer, are now dedicating themselves to the stockholder and the cost.’”

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©The Sandisfield Times. All rights reserved.
Published July 1, 2024