DO Something to Fight Back!!

[MrFedEx]

Given recent actions by top management, I'm once again advocating for employees to fight back anyway they can. I fully realize that this must be done under the radar, but there are a lot of things you can do that cost the company money. It really has gotten to the point where they feel they can do anything to us without fear of retaliation, and that needs to stop.

The biggest thing you can do is to just slow down and do everything exactly by the book. Fight them with their own stupid policies and procedures. Question everything you can, and do your best to overload the system. Encourage your fellow employees to do the same, which probably won't be that hard now that the Kool-Aid isn't working any more. Just be smart about it, and undermine their efforts to screw you over. I've been over ways to do it many times before, so I'm not going to bore you with the details, but most of you know exactly what you need to do.

Get one thing straight. FedEx is NOT your friend. You mean nothing, and if what has been happening lately hasn't convinced you, then you're probably hopeless anyway. Given the fact that we're not going to get a union, your only choices are really to put up with it or fight back and try to get some level of respect from Memphis. Right now, we have none. ZERO.

Being passive hasn't worked out too well, has it? The "bully" needs to find out that we do have the ability to fight back, and the way to do it is screw them over at every opportunity, even if it's as small as fueling at the gas station that charges 10 cents more per gallon. Nickel and dime them, the way they do us.

 

[vantexan]

When people in other countries sought to end apartheid in South Africa they divested their money from South African stocks. Fred S isn't the only CEO making a killing, and all CEO's are surrounded by management teams feeding at the same trough. Until employees everywhere move their 401k funds out of stocks and into money market accounts we'll continue to see wealth concentrated into very few hands. Everything they do is to get the big mutual funds that manage 401k accounts to invest in their stock. If people want to affect a change they have to hit them where it hurts: their personal wealth. These proposals of yours are akin to mosquitos on an elephant's butt. You need a sledge hammer, and people willing to sacrifice any 401k growth, which isn't much, to get their attention. But hey, I'm just an idiot courier, what do I know?

 

[TUT]

Dupe Post

 

[TUT]

Get one thing straight. FedEx is NOT your friend.

Right, they are an employer. Each person has a choice, but be careful following the OP's advice.

 

[MrFedEx]

Right, they are an employer. Each person has a choice, but be careful following the OP's advice.

Not a dupe post, but a repeat concept. The reason I'm hammering on it is that there are a lot more people out there at FedEx who have had their eyes opened. A few years ago I would have had reservations about making such a recommendation...no longer. Simply doing everything by the book (their book, by the way) has great disruptive potential. Simply follow the rules to the letter, and see what happens. As a self-proclaimed "industry observer", you don't really understand the FedEx culture, which is basically to say one thing, but fully expect another to take place, as in "you are required to take a lunch" but expected to work through it for free. If you work there, you already understand this implictly.

And I reject the idea that FedEx is "just like everyone else". They are much worse.

 

[fedex_rtd]

Ha, I like the idea of ruling at higher priced stations...The other week when my rig did not get fueled on time I found a station in the middle of no place and pumped 110 gallons of diesel fuel into my rig, trust me it cost the company a heck of a lot more than $0.10 per gallon over their normal price, and being an RTD I have a "no limit" fuel card. LOL

 

[TUT]

Not a dupe post

And I reject the idea that FedEx is "just like everyone else". They are much worse.

Mine was a dupe post.

They are the same, you just can't see it at your vantage point. Just think of all those conglomerates of years gone by and their employees at the time. 10,000's at a clip were being laid off, they got jobs at half the wage. So who was worse?

The way the laws are now, the employee is at a massive disadvantage, I expect something to happen in the next 10 years to find a better balance.

That said, you have to do what you have to do. I don't think personally you are doing enough for how much this bothers you. Personally I would have been looking for another job a loooong time ago if I were you. Girls think they can change their boyfriends, and usually fail at that. You are trying to change a company, something tells me that is a lot harder then the prior example. It's going to take laws to fix the problems, yes more laws, I know.

I do agree that it is very poor that your company instead of fixing a check stub to read properly decides to drop those wages from existence instead. So common and sad these days.

 

[MrFedEx]

Ha, I like the idea of ruling at higher priced stations...The other week when my rig did not get fueled on time I found a station in the middle of no place and pumped 110 gallons of diesel fuel into my rig, trust me it cost the company a heck of a lot more than $0.10 per gallon over their normal price, and being an RTD I have a "no limit" fuel card. LOL

Spread the word.

 

[whenIgetthere]

It's not hard to follow their own book. Don't drop and run those resi packages, wait for a signature. If after a couple of minutes there is no answer, look for a safe location to leave it or tag 'em. The more 08's, the fewer options for cutting routes. Speed limit, two second wait for that right turn at a stop light, lock/secure the truck at every stop, four second gap, 15-20 foot space at stop signs and lights, three point hold entering and exiting to name but a few. These are their rules, let's all use them! I already do, as do many others. Drove my manager beserk on my last check-ride (which I requested when SM tried to bump my SPH by 2 sph last month). One thing I NEVER do, is straight line. If the freight is late, tough, that's not my problem. Straight lining will throw your numbers off wack, if only for a day, it's still included in your 13 week averages, and we all know we have late freight more often that once every 13 weeks. Let's get the kool-aid drinkers to do the same. No more running and gunning, you're only hurting yourself and your fellow couriers.

 

[MrFedEx]

It's not hard to follow their own book. Don't drop and run those resi packages, wait for a signature. If after a couple of minutes there is no answer, look for a safe location to leave it or tag 'em. The more 08's, the fewer options for cutting routes. Speed limit, two second wait for that right turn at a stop light, lock/secure the truck at every stop, four second gap, 15-20 foot space at stop signs and lights, three point hold entering and exiting to name but a few. These are their rules, let's all use them! I already do, as do many others. Drove my manager beserk on my last check-ride (which I requested when SM tried to bump my SPH by 2 sph last month). One thing I NEVER do, is straight line. If the freight is late, tough, that's not my problem. Straight lining will throw your numbers off wack, if only for a day, it's still included in your 13 week averages, and we all know we have late freight more often that once every 13 weeks. Let's get the kool-aid drinkers to do the same. No more running and gunning, you're only hurting yourself and your fellow couriers.

Excellent. I don't have time right now to do a comprehensive list, but I've got a bunch more. Don't forget, if you take lunch in your vehicle...keep it running the whole time. ADD $$$ wherever possible. As whenIgetthere said, it's job security when you do LESS and take MORE time to do it. The longer it takes, the more people they need to do it. Also, never load your handtruck over the top...it's "unsafe". Make an extra trip. Take your time and do a full pre and post trip and find something wrong, even if it's a phantom noise that doesn't exist. That way, they have to pull the truck. Keep em' coming...

 

[morgan]

my favorite thing they do to try and save money is telling us we have to take extended break if on a route that has pickups and your light on deliveries that day. well according to the dept of labor (fair labor std's act) it's is illegal. And still people do it, makes no sense to me why. all they're doing is taking money out of their own pockets while still be out there the same amount of time. i just slow down as much as i can and when my mgr gives me the gap report the next day i just say oh well your more than welcome to have someone else get those pups. believe nothing your manager tells you without researching it first, more often than not they have no clue what they're talking about. we may not have a union but there are labor laws already on the books to protect us..

 

[danger_close]

I think we should have a sick out...Say some time in June after the the new fiscal year starts at FedEx. Just one day in the middle of the week, it only takes a small number of sickouts at a station to overload the system, and managers will have the problem of trying to keeping part timers on the clock for a full shift, or trying to run routes themselves. Hell just the threat of it on a couple of internet blogs will get their panties in a wad.

One of the ways I'm hitting the company in the belt is by reversing numbers when I punch in a dim weight, once a day I will "accidentally" transpose a measurement on a large but light pallet, say the true measurements are 48 x 52 x 61, that 52 just became a 25. and that customer just got a volume discount on that piece. The hub does not have time to dim out every piece, and if they were to catch me doing this I could just say I have dyslexia and I will try harder next time...LOL

 

[Lucho Kaiser]

Always wondered how extended breaks were legal. Be days I have to sit for nearly 3 hours in my vehicle, fedex says im "not working" so they are not liable to pay. However, if this is the case how come I have customers come to my truck and request the ISR they werent home for earlier, they saw me parked in my lunch spot and asked. Im instructed by mangement to just logoff lunch on your powerpad, make delivery, then log back on. They say "we'll fix your timecard back at the station". How are we "not working" if were required to remain in the vehicle, and cannot take it outside the route. The law says "if your required to remain on duty or AT THE JOB SITE" lunches must be paid isnt having to be in control of my vehicle on lunch my "job site"? I cant run errands or get things done, and were asked to constantly "fix" our timecards all the time if something comes up. Manager for months was having us skip our 28/29's "since their paid anyways" then puts them in our largest gaps at end of that day to boost PPH.

 

[Ricochet1a]

What was commonly done when I was a Courier and forced into these situations (extended split shift)....

1) Make one's last stop

2) Inform dispatch that your are going to "shuttle" into the station since you are "out of work to do"

3) Go into a shuttle time code

4) After securing the truck at the station, inform dispatch that you had arrived safely and were starting your break

5) End on road time code

5) Go on break (13)

At that point you are free to use your personal vehicle and do what you want - you are on your time.

Upon completing break...

6) End break on powerpad (14)

7) Go into an "on road" then shuttle time code

8) Inform dispatch you're back from break

9) Right before you make your first stop, go into "on road" again.

Management HATED this, but there wasn't a damn thing they could do about it. They can't keep you "hostage" next to your vehicle for 2+ hours while not paying you.

They have to pay you (shuttle code) while you drive back into your station, then drive back out to your route area. Express pays for "2 stem times" as a consequence of their not having work for you (in to your station at the end of your first shift, out back to your area at the start of your second shift).

The "benefit" to your station management in you're using a shuttle code going in for your break then coming back out to your route area, is that their on road time isn't accumulating - therefore the "stops per hour" clock isn't ticking. Your productivity isn't affected one bit by your doing this.

In routes that are really distant from the station, most managers look the other way when it comes to your using the truck for non-work purposes if and when you are on an extended break. However, since mileage is entered, you have to be careful just how many miles are entered between the time when you start your break and finish it - those miles do show up.

Talk to the swings in your station - they know how to play the game since they are used to working a partial AM route (P1 only) then taking a split, then doing an afternoon pick-up route.

 

[whenIgetthere]

Newest one from our DM says that we have just three minutes for code 56 at the end of the day. Really? Like most everyone won't do code 56 while still in code 10 now! What a bunch of maroons they got in district!

 

[vantexan]

Now that there's no split shift pay how can they force anyone to take an extended break?

 

[morgan]

really the only way they EVER could force you do a split shift is if your a swing or a parttimer doing an am route then a pm pickup route. According to the dept of labor since they are 2 totally different assignments your break in between isnt paid since you are able to return to the station and do what you please in between. however if you are doing a rural route that does pickups at the end of the shift if you are light on deliveries they can't require you take extra break. this would be like telling the person who works at the conveinience store or pizza place that since no customers came in for an hour that they need to break even though they already took one. they are still there minding the store therefore according to the law they are to paid for their time.. dol.gov search meal and rest breaks its all there, but your managers don't like an informed employee. all they're doing by forcing extended breaks is creating another class action law suit against the company. and at some point it will happen.