Con-way Defeats Teamsters in California Terminal Vote
Con-way Freight workers at the Bakersfield, California, terminal have voted to reject the Teamsters in the latest union representation election at the less-than-truckload carrier.
The announcement by Con-way, based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, represented the company’s fifth victory in contested elections. The tally wasn’t announced.
The union has won three votes since the Teamsters began an organizing drive four months ago. Several other Con-way Freight votes have been called off by the Teamsters.
“What we have found is that when our employees have the opportunity to get the facts . . . . they make an informed decision and reject the union,” Con-way Freight President Greg Lehmkuhl said. “We remain convinced that our path to success lies in maintaining an open, respectful and direct relationship with our employees.”
Con-way Freight is the third-largest LTL carrier, trailing Teamsters-represented YRC Worldwide and FedEx Freight. The union also is seeking to organize workers at No. 1 FedEx Freight.
At Freight, two more representation votes are slated for next week. The Memphis, Tennessee-based carrier has beaten the union three times and lost three elections. At least five other FedEx Freight votes were canceled by the union.
Con-way Freight is part of Con-way Inc., which is No. 4 on the Transport Topics Top 100 list of for-hire carriers in the United States and Canada. FedEx Freight is a unit of No. 2 FedEx Corp.
