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XPO Promises Jobs for Some in Closing Warehouse

CREDIT: XPO

XPO

An official with XPO Logistics said Monday that all of the hourly employees at its warehouse here that is set to close this spring will be offered new jobs at another one of the company’s local facilities.

The approximate 400 employees at the company’s Verizon-contracted warehouse here received letters earlier this month saying that the warehouse would permanently close because of an “overall business model change initiated and completed by our customer.”

Workers expressed concern that the closing was retaliation in response to the company recently gaining national attention after allegations of pregnancy discrimination, sexual abuse, and poor working conditions were brought forth by employees. XPO denied those claims.

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Now, the company guarantees that all the hourly employees working at the warehouse, which make up about 90 percent of the workforce, will be offered new jobs in one of the 11 nearby XPO-run facilities here, said Erin Kurtz, XPO’s senior vice president of communications. Kurtz said the company is also working to find jobs for the remaining salaried employees at XPO facilities here. The company will “make every effort” to accommodate employee’s location preferences.

“Getting our employees new jobs was our goal all along, but we had to take inventory to evaluate what was possible with our other sites in Memphis,” Kurtz said. “Happy to report, that we will offer all hourly employees a new role and will maintain the hourly wage rate.”

Kurtz also confirmed Monday that the independent investigation by Tina Tchen of Buckley Sandler’s, a Chicago-based firm that specializes in unique litigation, counseling, and crisis management skills, into the allegations is completed.

Buckley Sandler’s

Tina Tchen investigated XPO’s workplace culture and policies.

Tchen said in her report that the company did have a policy in place that requires providing reasonable accommodation for pregnant employees when medically required, but that she recommends additional procedures, education, and training of supervisors and workers.

She adds that XPO’s new Pregnancy Care Policy, which took effect in January, is “one of the most progressive in place around the country.”

“In particular the type of accomodations reportedly requested in the press accounts under the new policy can now be put into place automatically without medical documentation of need,” Tchen said. “The company has also been engaged in a robust training and education process to ensure all workers and supervisors know about this new policy and how to apply it.

“Overall, I found that XPO, as this response demonstrates, to be a company that is working to enhance workplace culture and support its employees.”

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The news came the same day U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen sent a letter to the company’s CEO Bradley Jacobs to follow-up on concerns raised last year regarding allegations of mistreatment of employees in light of the warehouse closing.

“We are also concerned about allegations that the Memphis warehouse closure could be connected to the aforementioned incidents,” reads Cohen’s letter. “It is our top priority to ensure that workers in XPO Logistics facilities are not put at physical risk or risk of discrimination.”

The letter asks for answers to six questions, some of which the company seemed to answer Monday:

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What are the results of Tina Tchen’s internal review of the company culture and policy?



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 What is XPO’s new pregnancy policy and how does it differ from the policy that was in place when the alleged incidents took place?



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What policies are in place at XPO to prevent and adequately address sexual harassment and gender discrimination cases?



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Who was responsible for deciding to close the XPO warehouse in Memphis?



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What specific steps are being taken to assist workers being laid off in Memphis?



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What steps will XPO take to ensure that workers are protected at the new facility planned to open here in May?


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Workers Call XPO’s Closing of Memphis Warehouse Retaliation

CREDIT: XPO

XPO

XPO Logistics is closing its Verizon warehouse here and some employees are calling it retaliation.

The employees were informed Wednesday via letters that they would be terminated as a result of the facility closing in June.

This is the same warehouse that’s recently gained national attention after allegations of pregnancy discrimination, sexual abuse, and poor working conditions were brought forth by employees.

About 400 employees currently work at the facility XPO plans to close.

In a letter to the warehouse’s employees, XPO said that it will be permanently closing the facility here because of “an overall business model change initiated and completed by our customer.”

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“Consistent with this change, we anticipate there will be a need to have employment separations at the facility, commencing on April 15, 2019,” the letter reads. “We believe that these plans, when finalized, will be permanent and the entire facility will be closed.”

Employees will be terminated during a 14-day period beginning April 15th. The letter also details that the terminated employees will not be able to “bump or displace” other employees working for the company.

The termination letter was handed to employees on the same day that XPO announced new free benefits for new and expecting parents.

Workers, including Lakeisha Nelson, believe the move is retaliation for exposing sexual harassment and pregnancy discrimination at the facility.

“My co-workers and I stood up and exposed the terrible conditions at the XPO-Verizon facility in Memphis, including sexual harassment, dangerous heat, pregnancy discrimination and worker abuses,” Nelson said. “In return, XPO and Verizon are shutting down our facility and cutting our jobs. I will not be intimidated by these corporate bullies.”

A former employee at the Verizon warehouse, Tasha Murrell, had a miscarriage on the job and now she questions XPO’s previously stated intentions to change its policies.

“XPO wants to talk about how much it cares about pregnant workers, and then it lays off all the workers from the facility that brought these pregnancy problems to light,” Murrell said. “This should tell you how serious XPO is about changing its ways.”

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President of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters General, James Hoffa agreed, calling the closing “disgraceful.”

We have stood by these workers since the beginning in their fight to improve their working conditions at this XPO Verizon warehouse,” Hofa said. “I have spoken to these women and seen the pain and suffering XPO has put them through.

“For XPO and Verizon to now close this facility is disgraceful. We will continue to help these workers in their fight to keep their jobs.”

However, a statement from XPO said the facility’s closure is a result of a “business decision” made by Verizon.

“Our presence in the Memphis community remains string, and we have jobs available for the majority of these employees in our 11 other local facilities,” the statement reads.


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XPO Adds More Benefits For New, Expecting Parents

CREDIT: XPO

XPO


XPO Logistics announced new, free benefits for new and expecting parents Wednesday in the wake of national attention to allegations from workers that the company practiced pregnancy discrimination.

The global company runs a Verizon warehouse in Memphis. The company has been under fire after employees reported pregnancy policies that some said led to miscarriages.


Employees have also said XPO allows them to work in unsafe working conditions, such as extreme heat.


Now, the company is implementing a free, comprehensive supplemental care for new parents and expectant mothers, “expanding XPO’s commitment to providing high-quality care for women and working families.”

Through a partnership with Maven Clinic, a mobile app and virtual network of healthcare professionals, workers enrolled in XPO’s medical plan will be able to gain additional support services that complement their regular medical care.

“XPO is setting the standard in its industry by offering this comprehensive supplemental health care coverage for employees,” a Wednesday release from the company reads.

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Through video chats, messaging, and phone calls, the app allows employees and their families to access a network of more than 1,400 practitioners with specialities including fertility, lactation, infant sleep, nutrition, and mental health.

“This virtual clinic gives our employees 24/7, on-demand access to an array of the services that women and their families seek most during and after pregnancy,” Josephine Berisha, XPO’s senior vice president of compensation and benefits, said. “These services complement our existing suite of US medical plans and are free to all employees. Expert digital healthcare is an important additional convenience for new parents, especially working mothers who are balancing the demands of home and work.”

The introduction of these new benefits comes after XPO announced in December it would take “proactive steps to enhance our policies” with more accommodations for expecting mothers.

New policies were launched earlier this year to provide increased support for pregnant employees, paid family leave, and 30 new types of wellness benefits for women and families. XPO said at the time its new pregnancy care policy is “among the most progressive in the industry,” and exceeds requirements set by federal, state, and local laws.

XPO also announced in December that Tina Tchen of Buckley Sandler’s, a Chicago-based firm that specializes in unique litigation, counseling, and crisis management skills, would be leading an independent investigation into the allegations made by workers.

Tchen, an expert in gender equity and workplace cultural compliance, will investigate the workplace conditions of the warehouse and make recommendations for improvement. An XPO official said Wednesday they could not provide an update on that investigation at this time.

XPO’s enhanced policy and investigation came shortly after 97 House members sent a letter to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce urging an investigation of the many allegations of “disturbing treatment” at XPO’s warehouses around the country.

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XPO Named ‘Admired Company,’ Organization Says It’s Offensive

Fortune magazine named XPO Logistics one of the “World’s Most Admired Companies” for 2019, and one group is calling that offensive in light of several recent allegations brought forth by its employees.


Employees at XPO’s Verizon warehouse here reported sexual harassment and unsafe, hazardous working conditions, including extreme heat last summer. In the last year, more than a dozen XPO employees have filed Equal Employment Opportunity claims against the company relating to unsafe conditions

There have also been various incidents of pregnancy discrimination, including refusals to allow pregnant employees to take on less strenuous tasks, leading to several miscarriages, which was brought to light in October by The New York Times.

However, XPO made the list as one of Fortune’s “World’s Most Admired Companies” in the trucking, transportation, and logistics category, based on criteria including investment value, quality of management and products, and social responsibility.

James P. Hoffa, president of International Brotherhood of Teamsters General

President of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters General, James P. Hoffa said including XPO on the list is offensive to all of the women who have brought allegations forward about the company.

“XPO Logistics being named a ‘World’s Most Admired Company’ is offensive to the dozens of women who have come forward with allegations against the company of pregnancy discrimination and sexual harassment, and the hundreds of port truck drivers employed by XPO who are suffering egregious wage theft,” Hoffa said. “Even after The New York Times report, along with over 100 members of Congress and a number of national organizations calling on XPO to address these issues, the problems with the working conditions and culture still fester throughout the company and across the country.”

House Members, led in part by Tennessee Congressman Steve Cohen, urged the House Committee on Education and the Workforce in December to investigate the many allegations of “disturbing treatment” of pregnant employees at XPO’s warehouses around the country.

Hoffa said XPO is not a company people should be admiring.

“There is nothing admirable about women losing their unborn children on the warehouse floor,” Hoffa said. “There is nothing admirable about workers losing their life on the job because they were denied medical attention. There is nothing admirable about XPO employees working 14-16 hour days with little to no breaks. There is nothing admirable about illegally classifying workers as ‘independent contractors’ and stealing their wages.”

Hoffa said Fortune should have looked more closely at the companies they recognize: “Just a little investigation into XPO would show a company that fails its workers when it comes to social responsibility.”

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Cohen, 96 Other House Members Urge Hearing on XPO Working Conditions


After employees at XPO Logistics’ warehouses, including one here in Memphis, reported claims of discriminatory and unsafe working conditions, Tennessee Congressman Steve Cohen joined 96 other House members Tuesday in requesting a House Committee to hold a hearing on the allegations.

In a letter, dated December 4th, the members urged the House Committee on Education and the Workforce to investigate the many allegations of “disturbing treatment” of employees at XPO’s warehouses around the country.

This comes after XPO’s Verizon warehouse in Memphis received national attention in October. Employees alleged multiple instances of “chronic pregnancy discrimination,” including refusals to allow pregnant employees to take on less strenuous tasks, leading to several miscarriages was reported in The New York Times.

Prior to those claims, employees at the same warehouse reported sexual harassment and unsafe, hazardous working conditions, including extreme heat. In the last year, more than a dozen XPO employees have filed Equal Employment Opportunity claims against the company relating to unsafe conditions.

Now the group of House members are asking that the Committee on Education and the Workforce “to bring forth transparency for the public by looking into, investigating, and calling for, if deemed necessary, relevant stakeholders to testify before the Committee.”

“We strongly urge the House Committee on Education and the Workforce to investigate this matter swiftly, hold a hearing on the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, take all necessary actions to provide XPO an opportunity for transparency to the American public, and ensure that XPO Logistics remains in full compliance with federal regulatory standards,” the letter reads.

In response to the claims of pregnancy discrimination, the House members asked that the committee consider the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, which mandates employees provide reasonable accommodation to pregnant workers, unless it would pose an undue hardship on the business.

“Hundreds and thousands of workers could be at risk at XPO Logistics facilities if the aforementioned allegations are accurate,” the letter reads. “While the current issues raised may be local and isolated, further investigation and oversight should be executed to ensure that hundreds and thousands of workers, nationwide, are not at further risk.”

Cohen said he has met with XPO employees, as well as the company’s senior management, and there are still “differences of opinion.”

“There are still some differences of opinion in this matter and the best way to resolve them would be to let both sides testify in a public hearing,” Cohen said. “The Education and Workforce Committee’s oversight of the company and its practices would shed light on the company’s practices and should, I hope, lead to nationally relevant reforms for American workers.”

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Local Warehouse Workers Call for End of ‘Abuse and Mistreatment’

Workers in a warehouse here are fed up with their poor working conditions, and Monday they took action.

Employees at XPO Logistics Verizon warehouse delivered a letter to management, putting them on notice for health and safety issues in the work environment, misconduct, discrimination, and sexual harassment.

The letter, signed by the Memphis NAACP, City Councilwoman Patrice Robinson, Memphis Feminist Coalition, and about nine other groups in the community, read, in part: “It is clear that XPO exhibits a consistent toxic culture that runs contrary to its stated policies and practices.


“As community leaders and women’s rights advocates engaged in legal and policy work to fight against sexual harassment and are active in the Times Up and Me Too movements, we are deeply concerned and troubled with the behavior of XPO Logistics.

[pullquote-1] Therefore, we are calling for a joint meeting with Jacobs, the executive board, and XPO’s customers in the supply chain (like Verizon, Cummins, Nike Golf, and Disney) to discuss the company’s inexcusable actions and what steps each will take to stop the abuse and mistreatment of its workers.”


The letter also demanded transparency in the investigation of the working conditions and the death of Linda Neal who died at XPO’s Verizon warehouse after passing out on the job last year. Workers attributed her death to the conditions in the warehouse.

“My friend and co-worker lost her life on the job because of the inexcusable inactions of XPO,” Lakeisha Nelson, worker at XPO’s Verizon facility, said. “Every day, XPO workers like me endure unfair, inhumane treatment and are exposed to threats to our physical and mental health. We’re standing up in the warehouses because we are human beings with value and worth and we’ve had enough.”

Monday the workers, joined by 9th District Congressman Steve Cohen and State Representatives Jessie Chism, and London Lamar, as well as Shelby County Commissioner Eddie Jones and well-known Memphis activist Earle Fisher, attempted to hand-deliver the letter to management, but were denied and locked out.

Afterward, in a press conference, Cohen said he was “disappointed” in the management’s lack of cooperation, calling the scene “disturbing.”

“I was very disappointed they [XPO management] wouldn’t accept the letter, which is an easy way to deal with this issue,” Cohen said. “I was disappointed they wouldn’t allow me to go in and talk to them and give them that letter. It shows a disrespect for public officials, for you as my constituents but also as workers.

“And, it also shows an inability to understand public relations and the fact that they work within a framework that includes the Department of Labor and the United States government, that they should have an interest in working with — the State of Tennessee as well as their State Representatives here. It’s been a disturbing scene to me, I don’t feel good about XPO Logistics. I didn’t feel good when I came out here and now I feel that the allegations that have been made have been confirmed to me in my mind, in the callous way they’ve treated us and treated me.”

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Deirdre Malone, president of the Memphis NAACP, echoed that sentiment, saying that she believes the claims of sexual harassment made by workers.

“It’s intolerable for them to work in a plant like this,” Malone said. “We believe the workers. We believe that sexual harassment does exist at this facility. We believe the workers. That’s the reason we’re here today and we’re going to let them know that we’re not going to tolerate it.”

This action comes after a group of the workers filed a complaint against XPO with the Tennessee Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for extremely hot working condition last month.

Employees said they experienced “instances of extreme heat leading to dizziness, dehydration, and fainting,” according to that complaint. During a three-day period, the heat index near the warehouse exceeded OSHA’s “extreme caution” threshold during the majority of working hours, workers said.

In June, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) filed complaints on behalf of two female employees at XPO’s Disney warehouse here for claims of sexual harassment and discrimination.

During the spring and early summer, current and former female employees at XPO warehouses statewide filed a total of 11 complaints with the EEOC for reports of sexual harassment including unwanted pushing, shoving, grabbing, and kissing by supervisors. Workers also reported that they faced retaliation for reporting harassment.

XPO Logistics, a $15 billion company, packages and distributes products for major brands, such as, Verison, Nike, Disney, and Home Depot.