Workers: Memphis warehouse, miscarriages linked

A Verizon warehouse operated by XPO Logistics is the subject of a New York Times investigation that tells the stories of multiple women who had miscarriages that they believe were caused by working conditions there.

The investigation also described forced overtime, roofs that leak onto workers, and soaring temperatures in the summer that routinely led to workers collapsing on the warehouse floor.

At the warehouse, hundreds of employees, mostly temporary workers, sort and move boxes filled with iPhones and other Verizon devices daily, according to the Times. Some of the boxes can weigh up to 45 pounds.

For the multiple women who lost their unborn children, the Times reported, personal requests and letters from their doctors advising against long periods of heavy lifting and straining were routinely ignored.

The most recent miscarriage was during the summer of 2018. Though 19year-old Ceedria Walker had a note from her OB-GYN stating she could not lift anything over 15 pounds, the Times reported that her supervisor regularly assigned her to a conveyor belt that moved much heavier boxes.

Walker miscarried the day after working a shift lifting and sorting heavier boxes, according to the investigation.

In 2014, four women miscarried after working shifts at XPO, completing tasks that went against their doctors' orders, according to the Times.

In the Times investigation, XPO spokeswoman Erin Kurtz said, “The false and misleading allegations directed at our Memphis facility are fueled by the Teamsters and are part of their ongoing, but unsuccessful, attempts at organizing.”

XPO Logistics did not respond to The Commercial Appeal's requests for comment about The New York Times report.

The report from the Times prompted several reactions on Twitter from women's health advocates and elected officials.

Cecile Richards, former Planned Parenthood president, tweeted, “Almost half the US workforce is made up of women. When will employers start treating maternity care as a priority instead of a problem?”

Valerie Jarrett, a former adviser under President Barack Obama, also commented.

“It is way past time for Congress to update the Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978 to require employers to accommodate pregnant women whose health depends on it," Jarrett tweeted.

U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand described the report as "alarming" and said many women's livelihoods are being put at risk.

“It is alarming that women in this country, the richest country in the world, must put their pregnancies at risk in order to keep doing their jobs.

"We have to raise our standards so they'll never again have to make such a choice.”

U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen also joined workers in support, tweeting, “In DC I met w/XPO employees, including Ms. Bee, to discuss safety issues. When we took complaints to XPO in #Memphis they denied us entry," Cohen tweeted.

"This isn't going away, it's time for answers.”

'We want humanity in the building'

Lakeisha Nelson is an XPO employee who began working at the warehouse 41⁄2 years ago. Nelson was not among the many current and former employees interviewed by the Times.

Reached Monday by The Commercial Appeal, Nelson said she hoped the investigation and subsequent reporting will prompt improvements in working conditions.

Nelson said she has stayed on with XPO because she's grown close to the people with whom she works.

"I came here looking for a career, not another job," Nelson said.

Working at XPO during the summer months is "like literally baking in an oven," Nelson said.

When XPO took over the contract from New Breed Logistics, there were promises of better working conditions.

"The conditions have gotten worse," Nelson said. "It has to do with the treatment of the people. We want humanity in the building."

When XPO took over the Verizon warehouse contract, pressure on employees mounted, as the quota from packing 60 boxes an hour doubled to 120 an hour, the Times reported.

Nelson also noted that every woman who miscarried was black and low-income, part of a trend in a city that has in past years struggled with high infant mortality numbers.

Employee allegations and Teamster organizing have been pulling focus toward the warehouse since late 2017, not long after an employee had a heart attack and died on the factory floor in mid-October.

For now, Nelson said the uptick in media attention has prompted some changes in warehouse conditions. She said overtime is no longer mandatory, and some pay raises have been implemented.

Expecting mothers working at the warehouse, Nelson said, can now take better care of themselves.

"They can actually take breaks and such now," Nelson said.

Still, Nelson is not convinced that the treatment of workers will continue to improve.

"Once this is over and done with, and the lights go back down, it's going to go back to the same treatment," Nelson said.