UPS fires 250 employees for staging a 90-minute protest to defend co-worker

UPS fires 250 employees for staging a 90-minute protest to defend co-worker

UPS is firing 250 Queens, N.Y., drivers for walking off the job during a 90-minute protest in February. 

The company dismissed 20 of the workers after their shifts Monday and issued notices of termination to another 230 employees, notifying them that they will be fired once the company has trained their replacements, UPS spokesman Steve Gaut told Business Insider.

The workers were protesting the dismissal of longtime employee and union activist Jairo Reyes, who was fired over an hours dispute, according to Gaut. The New York Daily News first reported on the firings.

Local politicians are threatening to cancel city contracts that give UPS millions of dollars in breaks on parking fines.