Complaints allege Verizon contractor was toxic for women
Verizon is investigating complaints of sexual harassment filed by eight women against a Memphis firm it contracts with for shipping of cellphones.
Eight current and former female employees at XPO Logistics filed complaints with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) in April saying they were aggressively groped, faced unwanted sexual advances, lewd comments and retaliation for reporting harassment to their human resources department.
Under a contract with Verizon, XPO Logistics receives and distributes the wireless provider’s cellphones at the Memphis work site. About 900 employees work at the XPO Logistics facility in Memphis.
One of the women employees alleging harassment, Debra Perry, says in her complaint a male supervisor had “touched her inappropriately on several occasions, such as touching her side or rubbing her arm. ... In March 2018, he came over to give her a peppermint, dropped it into her hand, then reached down and grabbed her left breast. It happened so quickly that Ms. Perry didn’t know how to react.”
Another employee, Tasha Murrell of Memphis, who worked at the site for more than six years, said after telling a woman supervisor that she was pregnant, the woman supervisor said she “didn’t need a baby and should have an abortion.” The next week after working a 15-hour shift, Murrell went to the hospital and had a miscarriage. She also reported a male supervisor “on more than one occasion … rubbed against her or grabbed her hand.” After reporting the harassment, Murrell says supervisors began to write her up for insubordination and gossiping.
At the end of Verizon’s annual shareholder meeting Thursday in Seattle, Murrell and another XPO Logistics employee, Lakeisha Nelson, discussed the matter privately with CEO Lowell McAdam and board members Frances Keeth and Rodney Slater. “It was very cordial, but we heard them loud and clear,” Verizon’s director of corporate communications Bob Varettoni told USA TODAY.
Upon learning about the allegations, Verizon began “an immediate investigation” and learned XPO has hired an outside firm to investigate the complaints, he says. The outcome of the findings will determine whether Verizon continues to contract with XPO Logistics, Verizon’s attorneys said in a letter to the company. XPO Logistics’ contract is worth tens of millions of dollars, the company says.
“While these serious allegations do not involve Verizon employees, Verizon has zero tolerance for discrimination and sexual harassment, and we expect our suppliers to abide by these standards,” Varettoni said in an emailed statement to USA TODAY.
XPO Logistics said in a statement to USA TODAY: “Our culture promotes safety and respect. We have absolutely no tolerance for any form of harassment, including sexual harassment, and we promptly investigate all claims that are brought to our attention.”
Several women’s groups and unions sent a letter to McAdam on Wednesday seeking a meeting to discuss the “toxic culture” at XPO Logistics and how it runs counter to Verizon’s own promises to combat sexual harassment and misconduct throughout its distribution network. Some union members and women’s rights supporters protested prior to Verizon’s shareholder meeting Thursday in Seattle.