U.S., European Workers Hold Rally Outside XPO Logistics Shareholder Meeting
Employees Demand Discussions With CEO To Address Serious Issues
GREENWICH, Connecticut, May 11, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, XPO workers from the United States and Europe, along with union leaders, gathered outside the XPO Logistics shareholder meeting to call for CEO Bradley Jacobs to meet with them to address serious concerns.
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XPO is a top 10 global logistics company and its employees around the world are angry about the company's questionable behavior toward workers. Jacobs has spurned their requests to meet. A delegation attended the meeting to demand a meeting to discuss workers' concerns.
"Many of the 19,000 employees of XPO/Con-way Freight are upset about the company's inability to put forth an acceptable contract proposal, the terminal closures, the subcontracting and layoffs," said Tyson Johnson, Director of the Teamsters National Freight Division. "Workers are fighting back by forming their union with the Teamsters."
"Today's action in Greenwich is historic because the Teamsters and members of several European labor unions are coming together to tell the truth about XPO," said Fred Potter, Director of the Teamsters Port Division. "The company is getting a bad reputation with port, warehouse and freight workers across the U.S. and the world."
Questions surround XPO's management of new business integration, terminal closures, subcontracting and layoffs, and a lack of progress on bargaining. XPO port and rail drivers have requested clarification on their classification as independent contractors, and its impact on wages and workers' federal right to form their union.
XPO's questionable behavior also extends to Europe beginning with allegedly breaking its promise to not layoff any workers in France for at least 18 months after XPO's purchase of Norbert Dentressangle SA. Workers in Europe and their unions have been fighting back against XPO's attempts to slash jobs.
"We applaud today's action in Greenwich," said Steve Cotton, General Secretary of the International Transport Workers Federation (ITF). "This event is the first time that a new network of concerned workers has taken action on XPO. The company has to listen. The company has to talk."
The coalition of workers and unions plans more events in an effort to get Jacobs to meet with the group to discuss the workers' issues.
The 1.4 million-member International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents more than 75,000 freight members, including nearly 200 at XPO/Conway. For more information, please visit www.Teamster.org.
Contact:
Galen Munroe (202) 624-6911
gmunroe@teamster.org
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