Con-way Freight Prevails Again in Union Representation Election
Employees in Bakersfield, Calif. reject Teamsters, cast their ballots to remain union free
ANN ARBOR, Mich., Jan. 8, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- In a union representation election conducted today by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), employees at Con-way Freight's facility in Bakersfield, Calif. voted to reject representation by the Teamsters Union.
The Bakersfield vote marks the fifth election defeat for the Teamsters, who have been attempting to organize employees at various Con-way Freight facilities for the past five months.
"We continue to be surprised by the amount of inaccurate and misleading information that comes up in these election campaigns," said Greg Lehmkuhl, president of Con-way Freight. "What we have found is that when our employees have the opportunity to get the facts, understand clearly the value of what they have today, and recognize the advantages and opportunities they have in being union-free, they make an informed choice and reject the union."
The Bakersfield vote follows previous Teamster defeats in elections at Con-way Freight facilities in Santa Fe Springs and San Fernando Valley, CA, Manchester, NH and Harlingen, TX. Earlier, the Teamsters withdrew a petition for a vote at Con-way Freight's facility in Irvine, CA. Petitions often are withdrawn when a union believes it can't capture enough votes to win.
"We are gratified by the support and confidence of our Bakersfield employees, as well as the support of all the employees at our other facilities who have rejected the Teamsters' advances," said Lehmkuhl. "We remain convinced that our path to success lies in maintaining an open, respectful and direct relationship with our employees without the interference of a third party."
"I hope our employees will continue to reach out to us for the facts and analyze the issues carefully," added Lehmkuhl. "As they do, we are confident they will reach the conclusion that the opportunities we have to grow and prosper, and win with our customers in the marketplace, are best achieved as a union free enterprise."
Con-way Freight currently does not have a contract with the Teamsters Union at any of its nearly 300 locations in the U.S.
About Con-way Freight
Con-way Freight is the industry's leading less-than-truckload (LTL) freight transportation company, providing guaranteed, day-definite regional and transcontinental service with exception-free delivery, on-time service performance and faster transit times through a single, unified network of more than 425 service locations serving the United States, Canada, Mexico and Puerto Rico. Con-way Freight offers LTL freight transportation across North America and through Global LTLTM delivery in the United States from around the world. Global solutions include international less-than-container (LCL) ocean shipments from Asia through its OceanGuaranteed® service; U.S. and Europe delivery for inbound and outbound international cargoes through an exclusive alliance with TNT; direct service to more than 30 Bahamian and Caribbean ports; and domestic offshore transportation to Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico. Based in Ann Arbor, Mich., Con-way Freight is a certified FAST highway carrier and is C-TPAT/PIP, ACE- and CSA-certified.
Con-way Freight is a subsidiary of Con-way Inc. (NYSE: CNW), a $5.5 billion diversified freight transportation and logistics services company. For more information, visit www.con-way.com/en/freight.
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
Certain statements in this press release constitute "forward-looking statements" and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties and should not be relied upon as predictions of future events. All statements other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements, including: any projections of earnings, revenues, weight, yield, volumes, income or other financial or operating items, all statements of the plans, strategies, expectations or objectives of Con-way's management for future operations or other future items, any statements concerning proposed new products or services, any statements regarding Con-way's estimated future contributions to pension plans, any statements regarding the payment of future dividends, any statements as to the adequacy of reserves, any statements regarding the outcome of any legal and other claims and proceedings that may be brought by or against Con-way, any statements regarding future economic conditions or performance, any statements regarding strategic acquisitions, any statements of estimates or belief, and any statements or assumptions underlying the foregoing. Specific factors that could cause actual results and other matters to differ materially from those discussed in such forward-looking statements include: changes in general business and economic conditions, increasing competition and pricing pressure, the creditworthiness of Con-way's customers and their ability to pay for services rendered, changes in fuel prices or fuel surcharges, the possibility that Con-way may, from time to time, be required to record impairment charges for goodwill, intangible assets and other long-lived assets, the possibility of defaults under Con-way's revolving credit agreement and other debt instruments (including without limitation defaults resulting from unusual charges), uncertainty in the credit markets, including the effect on Con-way's ability to refinance indebtedness as and when it becomes due, labor matters, enforcement of and changes in governmental regulations or legislation which potentially could result in an adverse impact on the company, environmental and tax matters, and matters relating to Con-way's defined benefit pension plans, including the effect on the plans of changes in discount rates and in the value of plan assets. The factors included herein and in Item 1A of Con-way's 2013 Annual Report on Form 10-K as well as other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission could cause actual results and other matters to differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements. As a result, no assurance can be given as to future financial condition, cash flows, or results of operations. Any forward-looking statements speak as of January 8, 2015 and are subject to change. Con-way does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as otherwise required by law.
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SOURCE Con-way Freight
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