Teamsters Accuse FreshDirect of Anti-Union Actions

MARK HAMSTRA

NEW YORK — Teamsters Local 805 held a protest outside the headquarters of FreshDirect here on Friday, alleging that the online delivery concern has moved to quash workers’ attempts to unionize and has fired two employees who expressed pro-union sentiments. The union has filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board, Sandy Pope, president of the local, told SN. Pope said pay and benefits at the warehouse are sub-par for the area. Jim Moore, senior vice president, business development, FreshDirect, told SN that both workers were actually fired for cause — one for a well-documented history of absenteeism and another for being intoxicated at work. “This is not really about FreshDirect, it’s not about FreshDirect’s workers, it’s about the fact that the Teamsters and the [United Food and Commercial Workers union] are fighting for the dollars that are represented by our employees, and this was a little bit of an attempt to show some strength by the Teamsters.”

Read More of Today's Headlines