XPO drivers in Albany, N.Y., reject Teamsters representation

Drivers at the Albany, N.Y., facility of transportation and logistics provider XPO Logistics Inc. have voted to reject representation by the Teamsters union, the company said today.

The vote to reject representation by Teamsters Local 294 comes a bit more than a month after 34 XPO drivers filed to cast votes for union representation. The Greenwich, Conn.-based company declined to disclose the voting margin. The union declined comment.

The drivers are based at a facility that once belonged to Con-way Freight, Con-way Inc.'s former less-than-truckload (LTL) unit. XPO acquired Con-way Freight's parent in September 2015 for $3 billion.

The Teamsters have organized XPO workers in Laredo, Texas; Vernon, Calif.; Miami; Aurora, Ill.; King of Prussia, Pa.; and Trenton, N.J. In October, the company pulled Teamsters representation in North Haven, Conn., at the request of its workers there. Last April, workers in Elgin, Ill., voted to reject union representation.

Separately, XPO said earlier this week that it plans to triple 2018 enrollment at its national driver program to attract more than 800 potential drivers looking to obtain a commercial driver's license (CDL). XPO's driver schools are located at the company's LTL service centers.

XPO said it offers free tuition, and the option of working part-time as a dockworker while attending school. Graduates must drive for XPO for at least two years after graduation. XPO has about 13,000 drivers.