Buyout Q&A, Jan.22nd Update

[IVE GOTTA PACKAGE 4U]

Fred seems like a nice guy....If your lucky he will pee on all of you if you are on fire(if you are lucky) Shareholders first!! employees last

 

[MAKAVELI]

That theory doesn't make sense. We are different opco , remember? Freddy has done everything in his power to keep us separate and the Teamsters out. He can't have his cake and eat it too. Besides, Ground drivers are not FedEx employees. So try another theory to screw us, why don't you?

I hear you. It does seem like they could open up a special pathway for those that realize the party is over and still want to remain with the company. Remember, the company rewrites the rules for themselves, never for us. So if it solves a couple problems for them, they'd do it. I don't think it would happen at all (0% chance) but it still makes some sense.

Open up a pathway, plausible. Deny unemployment benefits to those who declined, no way Jose.

 

[MrFedEx]

There's the right thing to do, then there is the law. There is legal precedent. Have you not noticed all the little things that FedEx has required us to do differently? I've heard quite a few mgrs say it's due to lawsuits in California. Fact is they can't layoff senior employees and keep low paid employees. They'd end up paying each of the laid off several hundred thousand most likely. Same goes for torturing people into quitting. Think things exist in a vacuum? Who would work for FedEx or buy their stock once it gets out they are making people take 5 hr splits with no split pay and only 7 hrs on the clock? People would have to be out of their minds to work for such a company. About all they can do is work us 35 hrs a week and take away what few benefits we have left. By the way I have to work about 42hrs and 20 mins to make what a topped out employee makes on 35 on the lowest payscale. And I don't get that many hours. So who's worse off? The mid-range employees, many of whom have worked many years for squat. So in the who would take the buyout scenario I'll stick with my prediction that it'll primarily be 10-18 year employees who've been completely, totally shafted.

You just hit on a huge part of the ongoing lie...California. How many times have you heard that the "reason" for taking away something or instituting some inane rule was a "lawsuit in California". This is pure crap, and SOP for company lies. When they took away the shift premiums last year, guess what our senior said the reason was? "A lawsuit in California". There was no lawsuit anywhere regarding shift premiums. They absolutely knew and had planned for hours reductions in anticipation of the Ground changeover.

Yes, California is a much more employee-friendly state than most, but the corporate strategy (if you can even call it that) of simply blaming every new takeaway on fictitious lawsuits is laughable. Unfortunately, most FedEx employees are clueless and never ask for proof.

 

[MrFedEx]

Offer the drivers a path to Ground. Those who don't take it can't really collect unemployment if offered a similar paying position, can they?

Ground is a similar-paying position? How does $10-$14 per hr with zero benefits compare to $25 per hr with benefits?

 

[vantexan]

You just hit on a huge part of the ongoing lie...California. How many times have you heard that the "reason" for taking away something or instituting some inane rule was a "lawsuit in California". This is pure crap, and SOP for company lies. When they took away the shift premiums last year, guess what our senior said the reason was? "A lawsuit in California". There was no lawsuit anywhere regarding shift premiums. They absolutely knew and had planned for hours reductions in anticipation of the Ground changeover.

Yes, California is a much more employee-friendly state than most, but the corporate strategy (if you can even call it that) of simply blaming every new takeaway on fictitious lawsuits is laughable. Unfortunately, most FedEx employees are clueless and never ask for proof.

Not talking about takeaways. Talking about things like giving us up to 5 mins before our scheduled start time. They've gotten burnt in court numerous times for trying to make us work off the clock, etc. But that wasn't my point. Point was there seems to be a belief that FedEx can do whatever it likes and get away with it. Might seem that way sometimes but they can't do some of the things suggested on occasion on this forum. They can't get around laws against age discrimination. I'm sure they'd love to see all better paid older employees up and leave but they can't lay them off and keep younger, poorly paid employees. We do have some protections and they know it. And this process of reducing payroll and increasing profits is being highly scrutinized by Wall Street. Wall Street cares about it's money first and anything that would cause a huge scandal and public backlash would greatly risk their investment in our stock. The things that have been said as gospel fact that FedEx is going to do to us("...have seen internal documents")are things I've never heard of a company doing to it's employees. What do you think the Press would do to FedEx if they tried such things? The Huffington Post is already going after them, just wait until they get the story out about how FedEx bought Congressmen to thwart a union then proceeded to torture long time loyal employees to quit so they won't have to pay unemployment. They do plenty enough crap, but no more so than a lot of companies, although the Congress thing puts them in the major leagues. But there's a line they know better than to cross because it'll cost them bigtime. We pretty much have to take what they are giving, but it'll never be as extreme as you and R1a have painted.

 

[Route 66]

Fred seems like a nice guy....If your lucky he will pee on all of you if you are on fire(if you are lucky)

using recent past history as a guide, I'd say it'll more likely be diarrhea

 

[bbsam]

Ground is a similar-paying position? How does $10-$14 per hr with zero benefits compare to $25 per hr with benefits?

as I said before, the company would have to make it attractive for the contractor to hire the Express driver as well. In some cases that would not be possible.

 

[bbsam]

That theory doesn't make sense. We are different opco, remember? Freddy has done everything in his power to keep us separate and the Teamsters out. He can't have his cake and eat it too. Besides, Ground drivers are not FedEx employees. So try another theory to screw us, why don't you?

I have no interest in screwing you. I have no interest in hiring you. The company may, however, have an interest in making it possible. I would think long and hard and have several long discussions before ever hiring from Express.

 

[bbsam]

Open up a pathway, plausible. Deny unemployment benefits to those who declined, no way Jose.

Wouldn't that be up to the state's unemployment board?

 

[vantexan]

Wouldn't that be up to the state's unemployment board?

Nope.

 

[whenIgetthere]

Not talking about takeaways. Talking about things like giving us up to 5 mins before our scheduled start time. They've gotten burnt in court numerous times for trying to make us work off the clock, etc. But that wasn't my point. Point was there seems to be a belief that FedEx can do whatever it likes and get away with it. Might seem that way sometimes but they can't do some of the things suggested on occasion on this forum. They can't get around laws against age discrimination. I'm sure they'd love to see all better paid older employees up and leave but they can't lay them off and keep younger, poorly paid employees. We do have some protections and they know it. And this process of reducing payroll and increasing profits is being highly scrutinized by Wall Street. Wall Street cares about it's money first and anything that would cause a huge scandal and public backlash would greatly risk their investment in our stock. The things that have been said as gospel fact that FedEx is going to do to us("...have seen internal documents")are things I've never heard of a company doing to it's employees. What do you think the Press would do to FedEx if they tried such things? The Huffington Post is already going after them, just wait until they get the story out about how FedEx bought Congressmen to thwart a union then proceeded to torture long time loyal employees to quit so they won't have to pay unemployment. They do plenty enough crap, but no more so than a lot of companies, although the Congress thing puts them in the major leagues. But there's a line they know better than to cross because it'll cost them bigtime. We pretty much have to take what they are giving, but it'll never be as extreme as you and R1a have painted.

The punch five minutes before start time is from a something not related to Fedex, I believe. I was at a stop a couple of weeks ago waiting for a specific person to sign for their packages, and while waiting, I was reading a sign they had above the time clock stating anyone signing in more than five minutes before scheduled start time would be terminated.

 

[bbsam]

Nope.

last time I dealt with unemployment and challenged it was. What has changed?

 

[55+]

we cant punch in more than 3 min before our start time

 

[Goldilocks]

There is a new memo out regarding the buyout. Again, it states that you need 5 years of continuous service and those who are eligible will receive an email early in Feb. A numerical cap on some departments, locations, organization codes and job codes is in place. Part-timers are eligible.

Here's the key statement, which IMO just re-states what we already know, and that is that some groups will be "carved-out", which means no participation in the buyout. Given their previous statements, this seems consistent with no buyouts for couriers. If more employees request buyouts than are available under the applicable cap, priority will be given to those with the longest FedEx continuous service. Every highly placed management talking head I have heard parrots the line that no positions will be bought-out that require backfill hiring, and that seems targeted at couriers. A MEM VP I heard speaking back in September said definitively that NO couriers would be offered buyouts. When the Ground switchover occurs, that may no longer be the case, and could leave the door open for couriers to get an offer to leave. The whole thing is so open that concrete answers are impossible at this point.

All of this is written in intentionally vague terms. The fact that they don't have a firm date in February makes me think they are still working out the details and have left themselves an out wherever they need one.

The top 3 employees are my station will take this if offered, without any questions asked. Me, Husband and another empoyee that use to be a manager with express. The future is bleak with express, why stick around. But unfortunatly I dont think it will be offered to us. For instance, today some of the couriers called me and told me that they only had 40 P2....Thats crazy because these routes are use to going out with 80 to 100 P2 stops. Its happening folks...If offered, take it and run for the border...

 

[Goldilocks]

One more point, if you got a job in 9 months and it was lower paying, you could supplement that with the remaining buyout money or significantly reduce your expenses by paying off debt. What this guy spent the last 30+ years building is going in reverse. It's a reality. It's likely a $140 stock if we leave.

Can you find out if this will be offered to the couriers? No one is talking, or no one knows.

 

[vantexan]

last time I dealt with unemployment and challenged it was. What has changed?

If FedEx is offering us the choice of being laid off with no unemployment if we refuse to work for a Ground contractor then the Ground contractors really aren't independent are they? If we are laid off it's up to us to show that we are applying for various jobs in order to get and continue receiving unemployment. It's NOT up to our previous employer to provide us with another job so that they can get around paying unemployment. Hey Bob, gotta let you go, but don't worry, I found a replacement job for you at 7/11 so that losing this $22hr job won't be so hard on you. Right....

But then you know this already and are enjoying agitating people.

 

[bbsam]

If FedEx is offering us the choice of being laid off with no unemployment if we refuse to work for a Ground contractor then the Ground contractors really aren't independent are they? If we are laid off it's up to us to show that we are applying for various jobs in order to get and continue receiving unemployment. It's NOT up to our previous employer to provide us with another job so that they can get around paying unemployment. Hey Bob, gotta let you go, but don't worry, I found a replacement job for you at 7/11 so that losing this $22hr job won't be so hard on you. Right....

But then you know this already and are enjoying agitating people.

I don't know. I wouldn't put it past Fedex to look for a way to make it happen.

 

[vantexan]

The top 3 employees are my station will take this if offered, without any questions asked. Me, Husband and another empoyee that use to be a manager with express. The future is bleak with express, why stick around. But unfortunatly I dont think it will be offered to us. For instance, today some of the couriers called me and told me that they only had 40 P2....Thats crazy because these routes are use to going out with 80 to 100 P2 stops. Its happening folks...If offered, take it and run for the border...

For many the future would be bleaker without Express, that's why. You are in the enviable position of being near full retirement age and got most of a 25 yr pension coming to you. Plus a tidy lump sum at 13% for the last 5 years in the PPP. Many have no choice but to hang on because 35 hrs a week, especially at top pay, is better than nothing. And it's almost certain that if they do offer buyouts to couriers only a few per station, relative to the station's size, will be allowed to take a buyout. I have about 6 or 7 ahead of me in seniority in this small station and none are willing. If the company were to clear out the willing with a buyout the end result would be larger areas for the remaining to cover, and they'd get their hours. Might not get much OT, but they'll do better than 35. If they don't offer buyouts the result will be the same. We'll get 35 until a few get frustrated and quit, then we'll be back to 40. This job is always in flux, and anyone that says it will always be this way or that way is either inexperienced or disingenuous. There's not much of a future true, but until someone can show me where 10's of thousands of older couriers are going to find nearly as good jobs, forget better, in this economy I'll take my chances.

 

[vantexan]

I don't know. I wouldn't put it past Fedex to look for a way to make it happen.

And yet you keep trying...

 

[bbsam]

And yet you keep trying...

Keep trying? Keep trying what?