A delegation of over 100 XPO truck drivers, warehouse workers, Teamsters leaders and faith allies protested on 27 February in Long Beach, California, where XPO’s chief executive officer Bradley Jacobs was the keynote speaker at an international logistics conference.
The Teamsters told the ITF that in response to the demonstration, Jacobs declared on-stage: ‘I don’t believe in the Teamsters. I believe in some unions. In Europe we have cordial, respectful, courteous [labour relations], it works well, it's very functional.’ The union cites strikes in France, a hunger strike in Spain, and controversies over safety and other working conditions in the UK as evidence that XPO’s labour relations in Europe are far from good.
The protestors are demanding a safe workplace, affordable health care, the right to organise, a fair wage and the end of XPO’s bogus self-employment scheme. They are campaigning under a banner pledging that ‘united we will make XPO a great company to work for around the globe’.
Noel Coard, ITF head of inland transport, said: “XPO has got a shameful track record of anti-worker actions, both in the US and in Europe. Mr Jacobs has so far not responded to a request from the XPO Global Worker Network to discuss their very legitimate concerns. What is he so scared of? At some point he has got to realise that we will not go away until XPO respects the rights of all its workers and unions.”
ITF general secretary Steve Cotton commented that Mr Jacob’s efforts to divide unions in the US and Europe would never succeed, as the ITF was a global, united family who would always stand up against XPO.
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