NLRB Levels Unfair Labor Practice Complaints Against FedEx Home Delivery

Board Finds Merit in Claims of Intimidation, Retaliation Against Drivers Seeking Union 


WORCESTER, Mass., April 5  /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Labor Relations Board Region 1 has issued complaints on multiple unfair labor practice charges against FedEx Corp.'s [NYSE:FDX] FedEx Home Delivery for its actions against workers in Northborough, Massachusetts, who were seeking to join Teamsters Local 170.

Region 1 Director Rosemary Pye's consolidated complaint documents a systematic campaign by the company and its managers to threaten, intimidate, punish and economically injure drivers in late 2005 and early 2006 who were trying to form a union. The company is charged with retaliating against drivers for testifying before the NLRB and engaging in other protected union activities. The complaint charges that the company fabricated evidence of wrongdoing and terminated four drivers for their protected free speech and union support.

"The workers in Northborough faced a series of threats and accusations because they wanted to improve their working lives by joining the Teamsters," said Michael Hogan, Secretary-Treasurer of Local 170 in Worcester, Massachusetts. "The NLRB complaint exposes the depths FedEx will go to try and keep these drivers down and without a voice to stand up for their rights."

The NLRB previously charged FedEx Home Delivery for illegal labor practices at its Barrington, New Jersey, and West Deptford, New Jersey, terminals in 2006; the company settled those charges with that group of drivers for an undisclosed sum.

"FedEx is using every dirty trick in the book to deny workers their right to vote to join the Teamsters union," said Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa. "In FedEx's quarterly earnings announcement last week, CEO Fred Smith bragged about his company. This week, the company's real face of threats, forgeries, intimidation and firings has been exposed."

In a separate hearing on January 23, 2007, concerning the union election by Home Delivery drivers in Wilmington, Massachusetts, to join Teamsters Local 25, FedEx manager Donald Clark attacked and insulted a number of FedEx's immigrant drivers.

This manager singled out each immigrant driver by name and claimed that they lacked comprehension of the English language and could not have knowingly voted for the union on an English-only ballot. FedEx continues to show its contempt for its workers in these disgraceful anti-immigrant accusations. An administrative law judge subsequently dismissed the FedEx objections to the Wilmington elections.

FedEx Ground and FedEx Home Delivery drivers nationwide are challenging the business practices at FedEx. The Region 1 complaint and its charges are only the latest evidence of FedEx's anti-worker tactics. A hearing before an administrative law judge is scheduled for June 18 to examine these allegations. 

DATASOURCE: Teamsters Local 170



CONTACT:  Mike Hogan of Teamsters Local 170, [phone]



Web site:  http://www.teamster.org/ 

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