• Most Popular
  • Most Shared

UPDATE 1-FedEx unit to pay $253,000 to settle labor charges

Tue Nov 6, 2007 2:26pm EST

Stocks

   

(Adds details of union election, settlement, FedEx comment, Teamsters comment, dateline)

Stocks  |  Regulatory News

CHICAGO, Nov 6 (Reuters) - A unit of package delivery giant FedEx Corp (FDX.N) has agreed to pay a total of $253,000 to five former or present drivers to settle charges of unfair labor practices, the Teamsters union said on Tuesday.

The National Labor Relations Board alleged that Memphis-based FedEx illegally harassed and intimidated the drivers and terminated the contracts of four of the five to prevent a local union election at the Northboro, Massachusetts, terminal of FedEx Home Delivery.

The NLRB also ordered an election to take place at the terminal on Feb. 1, the Teamsters said.

"I'm outraged at FedEx's treatment of these workers," Teamsters President Jim Hoffa said in a statement. "This small amount of compensation is not enough to undo the damage that FedEx has done to their lives."

"FedEx has made no admission of wrongdoing," FedEx spokesman Maury Lane said. "This (settlement) was a means to an end."

"We look forward to the election on February 1," he added.

This is the latest development in a long-standing and often acrimonious dispute, in which the Teamsters have been trying to unionize FedEx terminals.

Unlike the drivers at its main rival, United Parcel Service Inc (UPS.N), FedEx drivers do not have union representation.

FedEx pilots are represented by a union. (Reporting by Nick Carey; additional reporting by Neha Pathania in Bangalore; editing by John Wallace)



More from Reuters

Photo

Democrats strike deal on health bill

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Senate Democrats said they reached agreement on an abortion compromise with a crucial holdout, Senator Ben Nelson, on Saturday in a deal that could clear the way for passage of a sweeping healthcare overhaul.

A woman shops at a Sam's Club store, a division of Wal-Mart Stores, in Bentonville, Arkansas June 4, 2009. REUTERS/Jessica Rinaldi

The food-stamp economy

On the last day of every month, shoppers at Walmart load their carts with food and household items and wait for the midnight hour. Is this the new normal in America?  Full Article 

Two men shake hands in a file photo.    REUTERS/File

Let's make a deal

The battered M&A sector will make a tepid recovery in the coming year and three hot sectors will lead the way, according to a Thomson Reuters analysis.  Full Article