Ragarding all of this talk about, "what are we to do?" Folks, the fix is already in - and has been for years. There was a narrow opportunity from mid-2009 to mid-2010 for the employees of Express to have potentially saved their careers - and that has long passed.
Instead of wasting the effort of trying to figure out what Express can DO TO YOU, you ALL need to spend the effort in thinking either: 1) What can YOU do to Express (to save your career goal), or 2) What can YOU do to get the hell out of Express and get on with whatever career you choose. Failing either of those two options, just accepting what Fred has in store for you and ride it out for as long as you can - would be your best option.
Do this hypothetical exercise. If a union certification election were to be held TOMORROW in your station, what percentage of Couriers would vote yes, and what percentage would vote no. Remember, there are no INDIVIDUAL GUARANTEES with choosing to vote to certify representation (well, I want 4 year top out BEFORE I'd choose to vote yes...). It doesn't work that way. It is a leap of faith - you'd be voting in a belief that the IBT would do more for you, than Fred would freely give to you.
For the stations in the Great Lakes area, northeast U.S. and many stations along the west coast - the vote would be a majority in favor of representation. For the rest of the stations in the U.S., I'd be shocked if one-third would choose to certify representation. This is why Express has paid millions to have the RLA for itself - and will continue to spend whatever it takes to keep the RLA firmly in place within Express. Express knows that a majority of Couriers on a national basis (RLA voting is done on a national basis, not station by station), would vote NO with regards to certifying union representation. This is why Express is so comfortable in doing what it is right now - they know the "sheep" in the stations won't do anything.
The majority of Couriers fall into one of three categories, 1) Topped out, who don't want to risk what they have - all to benefit SOMEONE ELSE should representation be certified, 2) Mid progression who are just too damn scared to risk what they have, on what they see as a "roll of the dice" (certifying representation), 3) Part-time who just don't give a damn, and see themselves as merely working a job for a few years while they go to school. There are enough of these "sheep", to prevent any realistic attempt at certifying on a single, national level vote.
Had the RLA been stripped from Express and it was placed under NLRA rules for DGO employees, Express KNEW that it would've had a significant number of stations vote to choose representation back in 2009-10. There would've been enough stations organized to compel Express to bargain with them, and offer a contract The risk of a strike in such a large number of stations would've shut down the Express network - and Express would've had no choice but to bargain. Once these stations gained a contract, the remainder of the "sheep" stations would've seen what a contract could bring to them - and they would soon change their collective minds, and voted to certify representation. There would've been a "domino effect" of stations organizing once the initial group of stations managed to get a contract. Express KNEW THIS, and this is why Express pulled out all the stops to keep its RLA status - all to prevent that "first domino" from dropping, leading to more and more eventually dropping.
What the Express employees are seeing now, is the initial unveiling of the plan that was hatched YEARS AGO - all in anticipation of this opportunity. The future of Express is going to be dependent on Dynamic ROADS - once this technology is fully developed, the experienced Courier will no longer be needed. There is NOTHING you can do about it, since there are too damn many sheep within the stations to realize what is happening (or too scared, or intoxicated on Purple KoolAid).
I can understand the frustration one feels, when a massive corporation is deliberately acting against one's career prospects. The sense of powerlessness is tremendous, the frustration that builds is infuriating, the desire to strike out and do something is overwhelming. However, outside of organizing, there is nothing you can do. You are a "human asset" to Express - nothing more. You are a means of providing a service, for whom you employer views with contempt and distrust.
If you have no options outside of Express, you'd better start working at organizing - there is no other choice if you intend on staying and want something resembling a middle class lifestyle. If you do have outside options, start making plans on getting out. It may take you a year or two to fully realize your plan and get the hell out of Express; but you'll be thankful that you started making plans for yourself NOW. In one way, you are fortunate - many employees of corporations that "restructure" don't have a clue that they'll be handed a pink slip in the future. You aren't looking at a pink slip, you are looking at being reduced to working for between 35 and 40 hours a week with a huge unpaid break everyday.
I said it before, I'll say it again, leave, bendover or organize. Making a plan to leave is your best option. If you don't want to leave, you'd better start working towards organizing, or you'd better be prepared for whatever Fred forces on you. Spending your time on pointless "what ifs", is a complete waste and won't get you anywhere.
The KoolAid drinker wants you to "take action" - I suggest that you do just that. You need to take action that best fits your personal circumstances though - writing Fred would be a complete waste of time (and would only place a bullseye on your butt).