Teamsters FedEx
March 22, 2015 by Costa Kerestenzis
After a hard-fought campaign in which FedEx Freight spared no resource and took every opportunity to delay and deny the employees their right to organize, a group of 50 drivers at FedEx Freight’s Stockton, California terminal overwhelmingly voted (33-12) to become Union members and join Teamsters Local 439. The vote took place last week, March 12 and 13, 2015. The victory for the employees is the first on the West Coast. This election win is part of a national Teamsters campaign with FedEx Freight employees seeking to organize and gain a voice in the terms and conditions of their employment. The successful vote follows three previous wins in 2014: On November 19, a group of 222 drivers at FedEx Freight in Charlotte, N.C., voted to join Teamsters Local 71; on Oct. 31, a group of 113 drivers at FedEx Freight in South Brunswick, N.J., joined Teamsters Local 701 in North Brunswick, N.J.; and on Oct. 14, a group of 47 drivers in Croydon, Pa., voted to join Teamsters Local 107 in Philadelphia.
The victory in Stockton was made possible by the dedication of the FedEx Freight drivers who realized that obtaining equity on the job could only be accomplished by coming together as a Union. “The company spent huge amounts of money and time to try to get us to vote no, but we remained focused on changing how FedEx treats us so that we can have a say on the job,” said Mel Mendieta, a FedEx Freight driver. “This latest victory in Stockton shows the growing worker resentment toward FedEx Freight for years of being treated unfairly,” said Jim Hoffa, Teamsters General President. “This campaign continues to gain momentum and we are excited to be working with FedEx Freight employees across the country to help them improve their lives.”
Teamsters Local 439, Joint Council 7 and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters worked tirelessly to support the drivers through every step of this process and will continue to do so to help the drivers gain and solidify their terms and conditions of employment with FedEx Freight, commensurate with the value these employees have always brought to the Company.
Beeson, Tayer & Bodine represented Local 439 throughout the National Labor Relations Board election process, and our office will continue to work with the Teamsters to assist with the FedEx campaign, and particularly to help employees gain equal footing with large corporations by coming together as a Union.
Readers might find these items of interest:
http://teamster.org/news/press-release
http://www.changefedextowin.org/
http://www.wsj.com/articles/fedex-freight-drivers-at-n-j-terminal-vote-to-join-teamsters-1414809262
The material on this website is provided by Beeson, Tayer & Bodine for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Readers should consult with their own legal counsel before acting on any of the information presented. Some of the articles are updated periodically, and are marked with the date of the last update. Again, readers should consult with their own legal counsel for the most current information and to obtain professional advice before acting on any of the information presented.
