DELIVERY DRIVER INJURED ON AIRBORNE PICKET LINE.

Byline: Donna Huffaker Staff Writer

A delivery driver picketing an Airborne Express office in Burbank suffered minor injuries Monday after he blocked the business's driveway and was bumped by a supervisor driving a company car, police said.

Oswaldo Quezada was one of roughly 150 Southland drivers who work for VIP Express and Valley Staffing - companies under contract to the Seattle-based Airborne - who walked off the job Monday, demanding higher pay and better medical benefits.

The 32-year-old Highland Park man returned to the picket line, his arm bandaged and scratched, soon after the morning incident, which prompted Burbank Police to station two motor officers on Ontario Street. The officers, parked across the street from the 3100 San Fernando Blvd. business, witnessed no skirmishes for the rest of the day, authorities said.

According to the police report, officers arrived about 10 a.m. after the bumper of an Airborne Express car brushed Quezada, who then fell backward, Lt. Robert Giles said.

Quezada said he saw the car moving slowly toward him while he blocked the driveway, but he thought the car would stop. He says it didn't.

Representatives from VIP and Valley View did not return phone calls.

Police recorded the incident neither as a crime nor a traffic collision, he said. Officers took a general case report which they are characterizing as a ``miscellaneous investigation,'' he added.

``The reason we were out there was to monitor what is going on and to ensure we keep the peace. Our role is not to take sides one way or the other,'' he said.

Jim Smith, union organizer for Local 396, said workers want a 75 cent-an-hour raise and a starting salary of $8 an hour.

Workers also are seeking full medical benefits - coverage that could be extended to their spouses and children, Smith said, adding workers now are covered only 50 percent by their medical benefits.

Driver Juan Silva, 27, of Burbank held a sign reading ``Unfair Labor Practices Strike.'' He said drivers deserve better pay and medical benefits for the dangers they face on the road.

``We're risking our lives for the amount of shipments we deliver and the value of the packages we deliver. There's too many things we're risking - and they pay $6.50 an hour and only cover 50 percent of our medical bills? It ain't worth it,'' he said.

Delivery service has been disrupted slightly, but Airborne is using other couriers to minimize the disruption, said Tom Branigan, publications manager for Airborne Express. Branigan reiterated Airborne is not on strike. Airborne uses contract labor and this is a labor dispute between the contracted drivers and the companies for whom they work.

VIP and Valley Staffing provide delivery service to Glendale, Burbank, Hollywood, San Gabriel Valley, West L.A., La Crescenta, Tujunga, Sun Valley and La Canada Flintridge.