PERRYSBURG, Ohio — A UPS trailer shop in Perrysburg will close and all 38 employees will be laid off on April 1 as part of 12,000 nationwide cuts announced by the company in January.
"With the state of the economy, it's really hard to find a job with benefits to cover a whole family and be able to afford that livable wage," said Kyle Doll, a trailer mechanic at the shop on Eckel Road.
The workers, which include truck drivers, mechanics and other positions, are frustrated that the national cuts are affecting them and say it comes as a surprise after the Teamsters union in August agreed to a five-year contract with UPS to avoid a national strike.
The Teamsters Local 20 hall, which represents the Perrysburg shop, did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday.
"There wasn't anybody in this building that asked for more money and I'm guaranteeing that it's like that across the country," Doll said. "There's a lot of jobs where not necessarily anybody asked for more money, but it was for job security and pension security."
UPS provided WTOL 11 with the following statement on the layoffs:
"We often evaluate our operations and flex our network to meet volume demands. This allows us to continue delivering industry-leading service while also maintaining competitive prices. We are making operational changes at a few UPS facilities including the Toledo trailer shop in Perrysburg, OH. The trailer shop will close, effective Apr. 1. Our employees are extremely important to us, and we understand the impact this may have on their families. We will work with those who may be impacted throughout the process to provide support."
Despite that promise, workers are concerned about what lies ahead for them.
"My insurance is going to be gone, I'll have medical bills that I'll have to pay for myself," said Lynn Lanphear, a serviceman at the trailer shop. "I'm diabetic, and one of my pills without my insurance is over $1,000 every three months. I don't know where I'm going to come up with that money."