NLRB Complaint Hits the Papers - April 05, 2007

The NLRB Region 1 complaint against FedEx Home Delivery for unfair labor practices in Northboro, MA was widely covered in the media.  As Teamster General President Jim Hoffa said, "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."

A Bloomberg article provided more analysis of the independent contractor issued.  The reporter noted Fred Smith has claimed "FedEx has successfully defended itself in more than 100 lawsuits challenging the model."   While that may be technically true, the FedEx CEO fails to mention how cases like a decision in 1992 from the Texas Employment Security Commission is relevant to 2007.  Fred Smith also doesn't mention the series of depositions of FedEx executives like Dan Sullivan and Dave Rebholz in the on-going national litigation.

The Reuters article had more empty talk from FedEx Ground spokesmen. In the last paragraph, however, the unnamed writer confuses the Northboro FedEx Home Delivery unit that is the subject of the NLRB complaint with the Northboro FedEx Smartpost unit that voted last month.  Dow Jones also had a short wire story on the complaint.

The hometown Worcester Telegram & Gazette went and spoke with at least one of the former drivers.  And since that paper is the one the workers still in the Northboro terminal will most likely read, their coverage is the most important.  Typically, FedEx wouldn't return the hometown paper call in time for the article.