Fed-Ex Gets Christmas Present – No Union Interference

-By Warner Todd Huston

FedEx corporation was given an early Christmas present by the House early this week. In the omnibus spending bill being sent to the Senate, House Republicans succeeded in stripping language that would force the air delivery service to be open to unionization by the Teamsters, language the Democrat Party was pushing to get included.

We get the story today from the Memphis Commercial Appeal:

FedEx wins labor word war House passes spending bill without jurisdictional change

WASHINGTON — In a victory for FedEx, the 2,206-page omnibus spending bill passed by the House Monday does not contain language to change the jurisdiction of labor agreements that involve FedEx Express.

Efforts to kill the language that put the division under the jurisdiction of the National Labor Relations Act, which was passed in a House bill that reauthorized the Federal Aviation Administration earlier this year, were successful, those familiar with the negotiations said Monday.

This is a blow to the Teamster’s efforts to destroy yet another business…

The International Brotherhood of Teamsters has been trying to organize the company’s drivers at the local level, where labor disputes are resolved by the National Labor Relations Board. A labor dispute at a single local could affect FedEx’s overall operation and jeopardize the company’s reputation for next-day deliveries.

Kudos to the GOP for this win. Let’s hope that the GOP continues to be able to resist any and all union efforts.


Copyright Publius Forum 2001