HELL’S KITCHEN — A pair of UPS workers were fired after trying to attack an employee of a nearby 7-Eleven who wouldn't give them free food — the latest in bad behavior by staff from the package-delivery company, police and store management said.
On Dec. 10, two workers from the UPS facility at 643 W. 43rd St. came into the store at the corner of 42nd Street and 11th Avenue about 3:30 a.m. and demanded free food from a 19-year-old employee, police said.
When the employee refused, one of the workers took a swing at the teen before the other UPS worker restrained him, the NYPD said. They were not arrested, police added.
However, the workers were fired after the incident was reported to UPS by 7-Eleven manager Basit Khawaja, 32, who has overseen the shop since it opened in 2013 and said the incident marked one of many run-ins between his staff and workers from the facility.
“Every single day we have issues with [UPS workers]. They come in with bad attitudes, which we don’t deal with,” said Khawaja, who said a total of six UPS employees have lost their jobs for misconduct at the 7-Eleven since 2013.
“They would come in and ask the workers to give them free food," he added, saying that the UPS employees tried to convince new 7-Eleven staffers that it was store policy to give them the goods gratis. "Of course there’s nothing free here. The [7-Eleven] workers are like, ‘What are you talking about?'”
A UPS spokeswoman confirmed that 7-Eleven contacted the company about the December incident and that UPS took “prompt action to discharge” the employees.
“The [7-Eleven] is nearby a UPS facility, and employees may visit before or after work or during breaks, a strong customer base for this local merchant,” said the spokeswoman, who did not know what type of work the fired employees did for the company. “UPS does not condone any unlawful behavior.”
Khawaja recalled four UPS workers who used to frequent the store and pour beers from the convenience store’s refrigerator into coffee cups to avoid having to pay for the booze.
One UPS employee, who Khawaja said was fired after the manager reported one of the beer thefts to UPS, returned to the 7-Eleven with an apology letter — but it was too late.
“We don’t need any apology letter," he said, noting all four employees were let go. "What’s done is done."
Another UPS worker often came into the store to buy hot dogs and became belligerent each time employees told him the store stopped carrying the kind of bun he wanted, according to Khawaja.
“Every time he would get the hot dog, he would start arguing, saying F-words,” said Khawaja, who said he reported that worker to UPS, as well. “There used to be another hot dog that had bigger bread, and we always explained we don’t carry that size hot dog [bun anymore].”
The UPS spokeswoman did not respond to requests for comment about any altercations between UPS and 7-Eleven workers prior to the Dec. 10 incident.
Khawaja said he reported the most recent dust-up because his employees’ well-being is his main concern.
“I wouldn’t have made a report, but the thing was, he was threatening my employee…,” he said. “All I know is he works for UPS — I don’t know where he lives, where he’s from. He could be standing outside waiting for my employee, and hurt him.”
