An Appeal To UPSer's From FedEx Drivers

[TUT]

It does show Mr friend's tenacity and that he is having no effect either. Need to double up efforts.

 

[barnyard]

It does show Mr friend's tenacity and that he is having no effect either. Need to double up efforts.

Just shows his tenacity to whine.

He/she has never posted about contacting a union hall or posted any useful suggestions for helping organize. Just, "why doesn't everyone do everything for me."

Wah.

 

[barnyard]

That is not to say that I do not empathize with their plight. However, having volunteered to stand on a corner to help organize a regional delivery company, I am pretty sure that I know how hard it is to convince people that it is worth their while to sign a card, when their managers are telling them that if they do, they WILL lose their job.

I have spent hours on the phone with union organizers. A small handful of people at the company said they would deliver the people we needed. They did not. Talking is easy, doing is a bit tougher. I cannot even tell you how many people would say, "I will not sign a card, but if there is an election, I will vote yes." Dude, this IS the election, no signed card, no election. "Sorry, I cannot sign."

It is beyond frustrating to read comments from him/her that are so clearly wrong.

 

[Limper]

It does show Mr friend's tenacity and that he is having no effect either. Need to double up efforts.

Mr. FedEx is very good at throwing a hand grenade in the room and hoping everyone scrambles.

 

[Ms.PacMan]

Just shows his tenacity to whine.

He/she has never posted about contacting a union hall or posted any useful suggestions for helping organize. Just, "why doesn't everyone do everything for me."

Wah.

I know - he's like Norma Rae, only he's standing on a table in the factory next door.

 

[anonymous6]

Several years ago I approached one of your drivers to tell him about the benefits of union., ( i worked for non union companies for 19 years before UPS )

he sneered at me and replied " I hate the ****ing Teamsters."

so i walked away and mind my own business.

 

[MrFedEx]

Let alone that he starts off complaining about unions, which sounds like a sound bite from Faux News.
Then complains that FredEx doesn't pay him like a union man.

Never give up the fight.

 

[MrFedEx]

I have never been a fan of the Unions like the Teamsters specifically in how they lean to the democratic communist left, embrace a socialistic form of government. When they take monthly dues moneys from hard working members and give it to political forces like the Obama Campaign I have to say, STOP IT!
Stop supporting a form of government that is hell bent on controlling people like stupid Lemmings!
Having said that, if the Unions would recognize they are wrong and are playing fiddle to the trade guilds and political Communists trying to control the world, it they would turnaround and go in a new direction adopting the American "WE THE PEOPLE" mindset, and when we see the FAT CAT UNION BOSSES GIVE UP THEIR HUGE SALARIES AND BECOME MORE OF A SERVANT TO THEIR MEMBERS THAN A KING.....only then could I change my opinion of the Unions.

Having said that, I recently picked up a job driving Over The Road for FedEx hopping for what was represented to me as being an American Company. I have quickly learned FedEx is NOT a company based upon American Values or the US Constitution. They are a corporation carbon copy of a Socialist company using every loop hole their filthy lawyers can find to horde a buck for themselves and screw the contractor drivers and contracted help! I have seen it first hand when Management to Dispatchers will dispatch prepaid power to outside trucking companies like SWIFT, C.R. ENGLAND, and CRST then force dedicated teams to sit and wait at a terminal like Denver, Phoenix, Portland and Chicago for over 16 hours. Their is NO compensation for the wait and the condescending attitude that comes down line to the OTR drivers from FedEx Management and Dispatchers is be thankful you have a job I have the authority to have you fired. They want people to simply do the work and never question authority.

Now for most CDL drivers considering a job with a FedEx contractor do the math!
If the contractor is offering you .22 cents per every mile that the truck runs, at first glance that sounds like a competitive rate. A truck could drive as much as 1200 miles per day, you could earn $264.00 per day.
But here is the harsh reality, a driver departs from Sacramento at 4pm and it takes 6.25 hours to get to Reno because of Snow Chaining up etc., the miles driven are 146 that works out to each driver earning $5.13 per hour. Then in Reno they are delayed 6 hours waiting for a load and then getting a loaded trailer with faulty lights, then waiting for a service truck to make the necessary repairs.
Now the drivers have earned a whopping $2.62 per hour.
Then next driver gets into the drivers seat and hammers down the throttle he is able to pick up some time averaging the truck at 68 mph in 9.75 hours he has driven 664 miles the driver has earned $146 dollars that works out to being $14.98 per hour
The drivers switch and the first driver resumes driving to the Denver hub at an average speed of 62 PMH. Once arriving they drop the two trailers then go into the line-hall office to get a new hook slip. They are told they will have to wait until they get two trailers loaded, when asked how long will that take they are told it will be some time in the morning around 6AM. That will be and 12.5 hour wait!
Here is another issue that Safety managers, Management and Drivers fail to consider, the drivers are already acclimated to a sleep schedule having a delay like this causes the drivers to interrupt their sleep schedule forcing a driver to either work a back to back shift or the other driver gets into the drivers seat to do the driving when he has been in a sleeping mode.
I recently did a loop with a team driver where I drove 1927 miles and my co-driver drove 1113 miles yet we both get paid equally what the truck drives it took us 76 hours to complete this loop due to the FedEx delays and weather. that works out to earning $8.80 dollars per hour! (being a greater at Wal-Mart seams to be more appealing to me that risking my life out here on the road with all the inexperienced drivers out here driving Swift, CR England, Pride, Central Refrigerated and Warner drivers.)

This is the biggest issue I have with the Trucking industry at large is a driver is responsible for the operation of a truck from start to finish of each load, then the driver should be compensated properly for his time! NOT paying simply from point A to point B, but paying the driver for his mandatory DOT pre-trip inspection, time fueling, loading and unloading time etc. My attitude is I'm on the clock from the moment I get into the truck to the point I am finished with the load and I'm heading home to see my lovely wife and kids. Sleeping in a truck is NOT my idea of a good time, especially when its bouncing down the rough roads in Communist Controlled California!

Sounds like you have figured FedEx out. There is zero loyalty to employees, only to profit. Their philosophy is that you are lucky to have a job, and they treat you accordingly. The opco doesn't matter because it's the same no matter which division you work for. Employees are an expense, not an asset.

 

[gingerkat]

Mr. FE, I appreciate your heartfelt thoughts, but I think you're going overboard here. How many companies do you think REALLY care about their employee's? It's all about the bottom line and that is it. In a time when jobs are hard to come by, most people are not going to stick their necks out to possibly get something better.

Good luck in your fight.

 

[anonymous6]

Sounds like you have figured FedEx out. There is zero loyalty to employees, only to profit. Their philosophy is that you are lucky to have a job, and they treat you accordingly. The opco doesn't matter because it's the same no matter which division you work for. Employees are an expense, not an asset.

sounds like ups also. actually sounds like any corporation job.

the only way to be treated with respect is to work for yourself.

 

[TUT]

the only way to be treated with respect is to work for yourself.

How does that guarantee respect? But yeah, most companies are doing what is listed here. Surprise. Some companies simply have a few different circumstances they have to work around.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

The only way to be treated with respect is to work for yourself.

While this may be true it is much more difficult to simply punch out and forget about the job when you work for yourself.

 

[MrFedEx]

Just shows his tenacity to whine.

He/she has never posted about contacting a union hall or posted any useful suggestions for helping organize. Just, "why doesn't everyone do everything for me."

Wah.

BS. In 1996, 2 other individuals and myself spearheaded the union drive in the area where I live. We held meetings, passed-out flyers after work, and met numerous times with the union rep, who promised legal support and reps out there getting the word out at FedEx facilities. Then, the Express Carrier Exemption got snuck into the FAA Reauthorization Act, and the Teamsters ran like babies, leaving us (who had openly supported them) hanging in the wind. No legal support...nothing. They just ran. They never showed up at the meetings and never showed at the FedEx facilities. When a FedEx manager would try to sneak-in to a meeting, we had to throw them out physically. The cops were called several times.

2 of us got a lawyer together and were able to keep our jobs, because FedEx went after us hard. The other guy was harassed right out the door. We had to show that we had the legal right to organize and were able to win. Shortly thereafter, I was told by a management friend that we had all been followed by FedEx anti-union people sent from Memphis, and that we had all been assigned to a management watch list, which really was a hit list because they were looking for anything to get rid of us.

For years I had to watch my ass to make sure nobody planted a "stolen" package or drugs in my work or personal vehicle. I could never have a locker at work for the same reason.

Wah, my ass. You don't know sheet about what I do or have done so shut your piehole.