Thursday, May 12, 2016

U.S., European Workers Hold Rally Outside XPO Logistics Shareholder Meeting


Employees Demand Discussions with CEO to Address Serious Issues

PRESS CONTACT

Galen Munroe

Phone: (202) 624-6911
(GREENWICH, Conn.) – 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 a laundry list of serious concerns.
XPO is a top 10 global logistics company and its employees around the world are angry about the company’s anti-worker actions and abuses. So far, 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 very upset about the company’s refusal to bargain in good faith, 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 labor unions in Europe are coming together to tell the truth about XPO’s campaign of global greed,” said Fred Potter, Director of the Teamsters Port Division. “The company is mistreating port, warehouse and freight workers across the U.S. and the world.”
XPO is mismanaging the integration of its new businesses which has created significant operational and financial risk for the company and its investors. In addition to the Con-way Freight workers’ struggles, the company’s port and rail drivers are fighting company wage theft in excess of $200 million because of persistent misclassification as independent contractors.
XPO’s greed also extends to Europe beginning with 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 disrespect, lies and 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 https://teamster.org