Lead contractor in peak season pay dispute campaign is cut off and sued by FedEx Ground
FedEx Ground is biting back.
After several weeks of publicly putting pressure on the shipping giant, Patton Logistics CEO Spencer Patton, one of FedEx Ground’s largest contractors, has been served with a lawsuit and cut off from any further work agreements with the company. Patton has been the face of a growing group of contractors who are advocating for better pay amid the strain of shipping in an inflation era, especially before peak season. There was a warning of a shipping halt on what was coined “Purple Friday” - November 25th - if an agreement couldn’t be met between contractors and FedEx Ground.
FedEx Ground responded with the lawsuit, claiming that Patton Logistics only made up of 0.5% of the total routes in their network and that his threat held little weight to their plans during peak season, but also included “permanent injunctive relief and monetary damages” in their lawsuit.
Spencer Patton has said that standing up to a company as large and as powerful as FedEx Ground has always carried the risk of a lawsuit in retaliation, coining the situation a “David v. Goliath scenario.” Nevertheless, he has stated that he and his company are not afraid of the lawsuit filed against his company and have suggested that suing the contractors may not be in FedEx Ground’s best interest in the long run.
Elon Musk’s X is suing a major advertiser group, alleging antitrust violations for a supposed “boycott” of the platform.