XPO workers in Illinois reject union representation; Trenton workers say yes

Illinois-based employees of transport and logistics giant XPO Logistics Inc. voted Friday to reject representation by the Teamsters union, while XPO workers in Trenton, N.J., voted to join Teamsters Local 701.

In Elgin, Ill., XPO drivers voted down representation, while in Aurora, dockworkers rejected union involvement. In Trenton, XPO drivers voted for representation.

Greenwich, Conn.-based XPO, a $15 billion a year transportation and logistics provider, has recognized workers in Miami, Philadelphia, and North Haven, Conn., who voted for Teamster representation. The Teamsters have also won elections to represent XPO workers in Laredo, Texas, and Vernon, Calif., as well as drivers at its Aurora terminal. However, the company has filed objections to the outcomes, and the results at those locations have not been certified, according to the company.

The Teamsters have targeted XPO for their organizing efforts because its operations touch virtually every area of transportation and logistics. The union has made organizing workers across the supply chain a priority as it looks to beef up its membership rolls decimated in large part by decades of bankruptcies and consolidations in the trucking industry. Bradley S. Jacobs, XPO's founder, chairman, and CEO, is strongly opposed to Teamster representation, and has said he sees no value that the union could bring to XPO or its workers.

In a statement, XPO said it was "pleased that our employees in Aurora and Elgin have made a well-informed decision to vote down the Teamsters." The company noted that only 178 of its 44,000 North American employees have voted in favor of Teamster representation during the past two years, and that none of its locations has a collective bargaining contract in place. XPO said it is investigating the results in Laredo, Vernon, and among the drivers in Aurora to determine if they were lawful.

In a statement on its website, said the defeats in Elgin and among the warehouse workers in Aurora were caused by "XPO and its high-priced union busters" whose actions will be challenged through the National Labor Relations Board.