CLUE and the Teamsters came together again for an action that would be different than others. The CEO of FedEx, Fred Smith was in Los Angeles for the Town Hall LA Meeting at the Omni Hotel. Mr. Smith had recently been cutting his workers’ pensions and healthcare while giving higher execs huge bonuses. We went to the hotel to support the workers whose jobs had been put on jeopardy and also to confront Mr. Smith about his treatment of his workers. The plan was this: There would be a group of Teamsters outside who would chant and distribute flyers concerning Mr. Smith’s treatment of middle class workers. Then a few of us who weren’t on the outside “infiltrated” the building and were given a list of questions to pose to Mr. Smith during the Q&A session after his speech. Christy Parrish and I were two of the lucky ones who were chosen to go inside and be a part of this “secret mission.”
Once inside, we were treated to a nice lunch, heard Mr. Smith speak, and then the real showdown began with the Q&A session. It was interesting how FedEx Execs and upper end employees occupied ¾ of the room while high schools and the general public filled the spots left in the back of the room. Many of the questions directed at Mr. Smith were designed to kiss his butt. Questions like, “How can we become as successful in business as you?” and “Does President Obama know how much he needs you?” Gagging, I raised my hand to see if I could ask a question of my own, and surprisingly, the microphone came to me.
I basically said that I’m a student studying economic and social issues in downtown LA and I’ve recently become aware of the Blue Ribbon Commission hearing held here in December that focused on keeping FedEx workers in the middle class. I asked Smith if he’d be willing to read the final report (which contains a number of recommendations that would aid the workforce in maintaining a middle class life) and if he’d be willing to engage in meaningful dialogue with them regarding the recommendations.
And then came the lame excuse that he couldn’t hear me, even though the microphone was working fine, my voice was steady, and the room was dead silent. And I found it interesting that he’d heard many of the others butt-kissing questions that had been asked from further away in the room without a microphone. Fascinating. I do believe Mr. Smith has an uncontrollable case of selective hearing. But afterwards came the reply I’d been waiting for, “I can’t promise you that I personally will engage on it, but if you want to e-mail me something and have us look at it, we’ll certainly consider it.”
Email? Really? That’ll sure get things done. Thanks, Mr. Smith. But please be expecting an email or two or maybe a few hundred from me in the next few weeks. But enough about Mr. Smith. I was still in awe that I had just called out one of the world’s most wealthy and powerful people. And he didn’t have the dignity to respond with a straightforward answer. Even though the people around my table just shook their heads at me disapprovingly and the mic lady stormed off afterwards, I was happy. It was an exhilarating feeling, and I can’t wait to see what other exciting things will come my way with this internship at CLUE.
-Alicia
For more information about the event, read the Teamsters’ press release here.
