UPS - UPDATED Decision reversed - Civil unions/same sex unions are not spouses

[tiggr33]

See update on post 21


Grrrrrr just read today's paper. My business will no longer use UPS as a shipping agent. This just PO'd me big time. The headline reads " In denying benefits firm says civil union not marriage's equal" . I don't have the legislation in front of me, but I'm pretty sure it says same sex civil unions have the same rights as married heteros, just not the word married.
http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/index.ssf?/base/news-11/118386914994430.xml&coll=1

 

[DVC~OKW~96]

Thanks for the head's up. Won't be sending anything through them myself.

 

[Chuck S]

Grrrrrr just read today's paper. My business will no longer use UPS as a shipping agent. This just PO'd me big time. The headline reads " In denying benefits firm says civil union not marriage's equal" . I don't have the legislation in front of me, but I'm pretty sure it says same sex civil unions have the same rights as married heteros, just not the word married.
http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/index.ssf?/base/news-11/118386914994430.xml&coll=1

Unfortunately, this illustrates the point...separate, but equal...ISN'T EQUAL. Unless NJ, as part of the civil union law, specifically stipulates that private businesses treat marriage and civil unions the same way, they are NOT the same thing...no matter how they try to gloss over that fact.

 

[OrlandoMike]

Looks like I'll be using Fed Ex from now on.

I will also fire off an email to UPS tomorrow.

Thanks for the heads up!

 

[tiggr33]

It really puts a damper on us in the NJ GLBT community. And those in every other state. This is only the first case I am aware of in NJ that made the press. I'm sure there are many stories like this. Something as simple as a basic need for health care should be something every committed couple gay or straight should have. I am so aggravated tonight over this. As Chuck said, seperate but equal is not equal.

 

[Tony-NJ]

my company does not recognize dom partners. they're based out of Omaha. My old employer would have in a minute. sad

 

[TuckandStuiesMom]

I sure don't understand the thought process behind this kind of chicken**** stuff. It just seems SO self-evident;families are built/coalesce/develop in all kinds of different ways and it is JUST WRONG to say some kinds of families are more deserving than others...

 

[mickeyfan1]

Geez, I dreamed about this last night. I too will join the UPS boycott and send my thoughts to them. I suppose that those workers in Mass are OK.

 

[OrlandoMike]

Well our house just officially switched to Fed Ex!

I got home from running errands and when I walked in the door the DP was on the phone and all I could hear was him yelling "so this is what brown can do for me?"

Scooby Doo "Rut Ro!"

Long story short, he ordered something to be shipped overnight via UPS and it still hasn't arrived 4 days later. He gets on the UPS website and it says the package is damaged and they will notify the SENDER. He calls the sender and asks if they have been notified. NOPE. He then calls UPS and asks

1. When did they plan on notifying the sender and
2. Why didn't they notify him, the receiver.

The response he got was they have up to 5 business days to notify the sender, and they don't notify the receiver at all. Nice huh? Good thing this package wasn't medicine or something time sensitive.

The package is being resent via Fed Ex today.

 

[easleygrls]

As a former UPS employee, I can tell you it's all about the $$. Remember their slogan from a few years back...We run the tightest ship in the shipping business? We used to joke they run they tightest wallet in the shipping business.

Locally, at least in my experience, UPS is pretty good to their GLBT employees. They even let DP have "paternity" leave (although unpaid) when DD was born. The problem occurs on the national scale when something begins to impact their wallet. I feel this is an effort to protect the bottom line instead of to intentionally descriminate. The problem is the outcome is the same. It will only be when either 1) they are mandated to cover ALL couples or 2) enough employees and customers complain that they will sit up & take notice, IMO.

 

[RemixBoyNJ]

This is when I am greatfull... for all the faults my company has.. they recoginze all same sex relationships in every state.. doesn't matter where.

Well I wont be using UPS anymore.. that is for sure.

 

[steven_&_daniel]

I stopped using UPS after they delivered ten large boxes containing over 50G worth of merchandise for my home business and left them sitting on our front porch because no one was home when they delivered. They also damaged several boxes which left some of the merchandise covered with mud. I filed a damage claim and spent the next year trying to get the claim settled.

 

[DVC~OKW~96]

Years ago when we were living in the frozen North, at 6:30 pm on Christmas Eve someone knocked on my door. It was a UPS delivery! I felt so sorry for the delivery driver. We were having a party and we sent a plate of food out to him. He said he'd not eaten since breakfast that morning.

Should have stopped using them then, given the way they worked that poor person.

However, I do stick pretty much with USPS when needing a package delivered.

 

[TuckandStuiesMom]

Pretty much like Walmart... Our Fedex coverage isn't so hot out here in the stix. Next Day is usually two or three days...

 

[EllenS1958]

Just curious - we have Civil Unions here in CT - ours was last September. I'm pretty sure that CT law DOES specifically define us as each other's spouse.... I wonder if anyone here has challenged UPS on this? I won't use them either. We haven't been because they refuse to leave packages at an apartment address even with explicit permission or a signed notice slip. It is very poor customer service. We ask anyone shipping to us to use FedEx or the USPS.

 

[TMB1203]

That's very strange.
My DH drives for UPS and his co-worker who is divorced got back together with his ex wife but are not getting remarried. Anyways, she lost her job recently and he tried adding her to his insurance. He called and said he wanted to add his partner. They were all set to add her until they realized that it was a her and not a him. They apparently cover domestic partners but would not cover her for some reason.

 

[TuckandStuiesMom]

Hmmmm... this is taken fron the UofA's OUTREACH page:

"...
* At least 13 of Arizona's top 20 employers (65%) offer domestic partner benefits, including Honeywell, Banner Health Systems, Raytheon, Intel, Wells Fargo, Target, Qwest, American Express, Bank One, Bank of America, Motorola, Home Depot and Walgreen's. Other major companies in Arizona that offer domestic partner benefits include Hilton Hotels, Sears, Marriott International, Morgan Stanley, IBM, Gannett, UPS, Costco Wholesale, Cox Communications, Medtronic, Texas Instruments, and Intuit."...

Does the UPS DP policy vary from state to state, I wonder?

 

[dennis-in-ct]

There are 1,138 Federal laws that are NOT accorded to Civil Unions.

A Civil Union is second class citizenship compared to MARRIGE

 

[odd1]

That's very strange.
My DH drives for UPS and his co-worker who is divorced got back together with his ex wife but are not getting remarried. Anyways, she lost her job recently and he tried adding her to his insurance. He called and said he wanted to add his partner. They were all set to add her until they realized that it was a her and not a him. They apparently cover domestic partners but would not cover her for some reason.

They didn't add her because she and her partner have the legal opportunity and right to actually get married. Companies that offer domestic partner benefits do so because gays don't have that opportunity but would take it if they did. The fact that this couple CAN but are choosing not to get married renigs their right to domestic partner benefits.

 

[padalyn]

hmm. I have always disliked UPS. Tiggr33 told me about this before we went away...she has had to listen to me rant and rave about picking up the items they won't deliver.

I have to drive past 2 depots to one that is about 12 miles away (12 miles in NJ is like 20 miles anywhere else in the country!). I can only pick up on Mon, Wed and Fri between 10a and 2p...well that is the middle of my night! So, not only do I have to fight the tunnel traffic, but I have to stay up half of my sleep time and produce 3 forms of ID to get my box.

I really prefer Fed Ex. Always have. Even tho an ex of mine works there (found her cheating with a co-worker of hers - she found her stuff outside for that one).