FedEx discloses worker COVID-19 rate
Memphis TN Sept 22 2020
The COVID-19 infection rate among FedEx employees is about 1.7%, FedEx Corporate Vice President of Human Resources Judy Edge said at the company’s annual shareholders meeting Monday.
“A significant number of our employees are working from home,” Edge said. “As a result, our infection rate is pretty low, at approximately 1.7% of our employee workforce.”
FedEx employs 500,000 people globally, meaning COVID-19 has infected some 8,500 FedEx workers.
Edge, answering shareholder questions about COVID-19’s impact on the company, did not say exactly how many employees have died from the virus, but said the deaths reported since the pandemic began in March “are really low.”
A FedEx spokesperson said the company isn’t sharing specific COVID-19 information beyond what was said on the call.
About 10 to 15% of FedEx’s employees can work from home, Edge said, and “a significant number” are doing so. She said the high number of employees working remotely has helped slow the spread of the disease.
Multiple workers at the FedEx Express World Hub in Memphis have tested positive for COVID-19. At FedEx Express’ Newark, New Jersey, hub, at least five employees have died of the disease, The Commercial Appeal and The Bergen Record found, and U.S. Sen. Cory Booker sent FedEx a letterdemanding answers about hub safety measures.
Edge said FedEx is taking extensive measures to keep employees safe, including temperature checks prior to entry at several facilities, suspending most delivery signature requirements, providing personal protective equipment and masks for employees and promoting social distancing and COVID-19 education.
At the shareholders meeting, all three management proposals up for vote were approved and none of the five shareholder proposals were approved, according to preliminary results.
With more than 40% of FedEx’s stock held by its 15 largest shareholders in fiscal year 2020, proposals not backed by management are longshots for approval. FedEx will report final voting results in a regulatory filing.
Commercial Appeal
