All posts by George

UPS

Birmingham UPS shooter identified: Family member calls him ‘one of the best men I’ve ever known’

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama –Three people are dead — including the gunman — after a shooting this morning at a UPS facility in Inglenook, according to Birmingham officials.

The incident happened just before 9:30 a.m. as police received multiple calls of an active shooter at 4601 Inglenook Lane, the customer service center and warehouse. “Patrol units responded quickly; they rallied and made entry,” said Birmingham Police Chief A.C. Roper. “They were able to clear the building and, of course, during the shooting, multiple employees exited the facility.”

Once the officers arrived and entered the building, they found three dead people inside the business. “It appears it was the shooter, still wearing his UPS uniform, and two other employees,” the chief said.

Police officials have not publicly named the shooter, but law-enforcement sources, family and church members identified him as 45-year-old Joe Tesney. He is married, and the father of two daughters.

When they came to work today they had no idea it would be their last day alive on earth,” A.C. Roper.

The gun used in the shootings was still underneath his body when police arrived on the scene.

Police this afternoon confirmed the shooter was fired from his job. “He received his final papers Monday,” said police spokesman Lt. Sean Edwards. “Today he was not expected to return to work because he was no longer employed there.”

Tesney reportedly was fired within the past month and appealed the firing. He lost his appeal in recent days.

What led to his firing wasn’t immediately available. Court records show an auto repair, design and testing shop, filed a lawsuit in November 2012 against Tesney and UPS in Jefferson County District Civil Court.

The lawsuit claims that on Nov. 5, 2010, Tesney came to the business to pick up packages. Along with the marked packages for shipment Tesney negligently, recklessly or intentionally took an unboxed custom one-of-a-kind radiator for a race truck that TSA Motorsports had shipped to HESCO for testing. The radiator  was not marked or otherwise designated for shipment, the lawsuit claims. The radiator was valued at approximately $4,000.

The radiator was never returned or replaced by UPS or Tesney, the lawsuit states.  Jefferson County District Judge Jack Lowther found in favor of Tesney and UPS after a bench trial on Sept. 10, 2013.

Tesney’s mother-in-law, Wanda Binney, told AL.com today the family is shocked. “He was one of the best men I have ever known,” she said. “He was a kind husband and a wonderful father.”

Asked if anyone would predict this from Tesney, Binney said, “Anybody but Joe. He’s never hurt anyone in his life.”

“He was just a wonderful person and we’re shocked,” she said. She said the children have not been notified of their father’s death.

Tesney was a member of Northpark Baptist Church in Trussville. The church released the following statement today to AL.com: “We are praying for the employees of UPS and the families of the victims of today’s tragedy. Our hearts are grieved. We pray that the peace of our Lord would be near to those who have been devastated.”

All three deceased were adult white males, and their names have not been publicly released. The two victims were supervisors at UPS, and police said they believe at least one was specifically targeted in the shooting. The other, sources tell AL.com, was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Birmingham News

UPS

UPS to hire up to 95,000 seasonal workers

Package Shipping Companies Rush To Delivery Backlog Of Christmas Packages

UPS plans to hire up to 95,000 workers to help with package delivery during the holiday season, the company said Tuesday.

The positions will include package sorters, loaders, delivery helpers and drivers, according to The Associated Press.

Last year, UPS underestimated the number of deliveries during the holiday shipping season, which peaked several days later than the company expected as shoppers jumped at free shipping offers, right up until a few days before Christmas.

UPS originally planned to hire 55,000 seasonal workers in 2013 but ended up adding 30,000 more to handle the surge in deliveries, which drove up costs and reduced earnings.

Even with the additional hiring last year, UPS couldn’t handle all the volume, and some last-minute deliveries were delayed until after Christmas.

Since last year’s holiday season, UPS has implemented several measures to help prepare for this year’s onslaught of deliveries. This includes making improvements to schedule planning, installing temporary mobile sorting and delivery centers and adding thousands of new or leased delivery vehicles, trailers, aircraft and portable loading aids. It’s also adding operating days and shifts, according to AP.

Company officials said much of the sharp increase in package deliveries this year will be driven by e-commerce, and the surge will begin in October and continue through January 2015, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Individuals interested in applying for the seasonal positions, starting at $10 an hour, may do so online at UPSjobs.com.

7NEWS

UPS

UPS double standard

UPS fires the driver in a case like this because their internal investigation finds him responsible for the accident. But when a jury award is involved, they deny responsibility.  Can you have it both ways?  DB

 

 

MOBILE, Alabama — A Mobile County jury granted a man a $1 million award for damages after a car accident with a UPS delivery truck two years ago.

Gerald Simoneau II was driving on Rangeline Road when a UPS truck driven by Steven A. Chestnut veered onto the street, colliding with the vehicle he was driving, according to a complaint filed in Mobile County Circuit Court.

After the February 28 crash, Simoneau, underwent multiple surgeries to repair broken bones, including his ribs and clavicle; and permanent injuries to one of his arms.  A jury awarded Simoneau compensatory damages for the incident Thursday.

“UPS’s driver chose not to follow basic safety rules. By violating the right-of-way, he caused a collision that permanently injured another person,” said Lucy Tufts, an attorney for Cunningham Bounds who represented Simoneau, the plaintiff.

Chestnut, who was then employed by UPS, attempted to cross the intersection near Todd Acres Road and pulled in front of Simoneau only seconds before they both collided.

“UPS is disappointed with the jury’s verdict and we are evaluating whether we are going to appeal,” said Susan Rosenberg, a spokesperson at the corporate office in Atlanta. “Because it’s so recent our lawyers need time to study the elements of the verdict.”

The shipping and logistics company has 30 days to file a motion for an appeal. That motion can sit before a judge as long as 90 days.

“Even after its driver admitted fault, UPS was not willing to accept responsibility. UPS spent 2 ½ years litigating the case and wanted the jury to believe that Mr. Simoneau was to blame for not seeing and avoiding its delivery truck,” Tufts said.

“The jury’s verdict sent a message that it is important for corporations like UPS to be accountable and to take responsibility for their actions when they cause harm to someone else.”

Michael Finch II

UPS

UPS Store data breach includes 3 Colorado stores

DENVER – Some customers of The UPS Store may have had their credit and debit card information exposed by a computer virus found on systems at 51 stores, including three in Colorado.

A spokeswoman for UPS says the information includes card numbers, postal and email addresses from about 100,000 transactions between Jan. 20 and Aug. 11.

United Parcel Service Inc. said Wednesday that it was among U.S. retailers who got a government bulletin about the malware on July 31. The malware is not identified by current anti-virus software.

UPS spokeswoman Chelsea Lee says the company is not aware of any fraud related to the attack.

Atlanta-based UPS says it hired a security firm that found the virus in systems at stores in 24 states, about 1 percent of the company’s 4,470 franchised locations.

The Colorado locations involved are:

  • Aurora – 3124 South Parker Road #A2
  • Greenwood Village – 5910 South University Boulevard Suite C-18
  • Lakewood – 12081 West Alameda Parkway

Locations in other states are listed on UPS’ website.

7NEWS

UPS

Southern California UPS driver arrested on gun trafficking charges

A Southern California driver for United Parcel Service was arrested Friday, accused of stealing dozens of guns bound for a Turner’s Outdoorsman store in Rancho Cucamonga.

Curtis Hays, 36, allegedly funneled 72 weapons, including 12-gauge shotguns and .45-caliber pistols, to an associate for sale on the region’s bustling black market for illegal firearms.

“This is an unusual case,” said Carlo A. DiCesare, a special assistant U.S. Attorney in Riverside who is prosecuting the case. “It was a large number of firearms that were stolen, and they were stolen from a reputable shipping company.”

Authorities learned of the scheme after Turner’s Outdoorsman management alerted authorities to the missing shipments. The store typically receives UPS shipments from out-of-state gun manufacturers through the shipping company’s Ontario hub, according to authorities.

The 16-count indictment was filed July 23. It alleges Hays, of Rancho Cucamonga, stole a series of packages containing guns in 2012. The indictment also accuses him of stealing jewelry and mobile phones that were supposed to be delivered to other retailers.

Prosecutors have named Dennis Dell White, Jr., 35, of Moreno Valley, as Hays’ co-conspirator and middleman who is accused of selling the guns on the street or to other illegal gun dealers.

“Defendants Hays and White would meet in Rancho Cucamonga, California, at which defendant Hays would give the stolen firearms or other goods to defendant White,” according to the indictment. Authorities say Hays no longer works for UPS.

“Certainly there is a huge market out there,” DiCesare said of illegal gun sales in Southern California. “What the full extent of it is – I don’t know if anyone knows.”

Hays and White are charged with conspiracy, six counts of theft of firearms, six counts of receipt and possession of stolen firearms and two counts of theft, receipt, and possession of goods in interstate commerce.

The indictment mentions two anonymous individuals involved in the deals as P.C. and L.C. They remain uncharged, according DiCesare.

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