Employees File for Teamsters Representation at Two More XPO Facilities
Drivers at an XPO Logistics facility in Aurora, Illinois, and workers at a warehouse operation in North Haven, Connecticut, filed for Teamsters representation Sept. 14 and Sept. 15, respectively, the union announced and the company confirmed.
The 125 workers in Connecticut plan to become the first Teamsters-represented warehouse workers at the company, the union said.
The Illinois action involves 72 drivers at a former Con-way Freight terminal.
Both groups of workers, if successful, would join workers in Miami, Laredo, Texas, and Vernon, California, who have already formed their union, the Teamsters said.
“The workers at XPO Logistics in Connecticut play a key role in the company's success, yet they are treated poorly and receive low wages,” Steve Vairma, director of the Teamsters Warehouse Division, said in a statement.
The drivers in Illinois “reached out to us because they are tired of being mistreated by this multinational corporation that puts profits over its hardworking employees,” Tom Flynn, president of Local 179 in Joliet, Illinois, said in a statement. “We look forward to standing shoulder to shoulder with these workers to help them improve their lives and to get the respect and dignity they deserve.”
In the less-than-truckload business that was the largest unit of Con-way Inc., which XPO purchased in October 2015, the union has been trying for several years to organize drivers on a terminal-by-terminal basis. The company has won all but three elections at the LTL business. XPO, which has about 300 LTL terminals, has not reached any contract agreements with workers at those three facilities.
“It's no surprise that the Teamsters want XPO employees to pay them dues, given the union's huge declines in membership and credibility,” Greenwich, Connecticut-based XPO said in a statement.
“We have strong relationships with our employees and the independent contractors who serve our customers. We're confident that the best way forward is to continue the direct and open dialogue we have now. No one should be forced to pay a union to keep their job,” it said.
XPO ranks No. 3 on the Transport Topics Top 100 list of the largest U.S. and Canadian for-hire carriers.
