It has been awhile since I posted here - been very busy with both work while fitting in "subversive activity" on the side...
I was forwarded the latest Express mailing to review by a friend that still works there. Yes indeed, health care premiums and deductibles are rising - what happens when you don't have a union contract or have executive management fearing unionization is imminent...
Given the real "expense" of a health plan for a family (assuming you purchase a plan on the open market) - along with the real increase in health care over the past year - it looks like all the increase in health care expenses are being passed directly to the non-union employees of Express (everyone but the pilots and senior execs). In otherwords, the employees are taking all the cost increases as direct increases to their premiums and deductibles while Express is holding their expense at a constant.
With the FedEx Premier option, an employee with family is picking up roughly 25-30% of the total expense of having a health care plan. This DOESN'T account for the decreasing number of providers who are accepting the rate schedule put out by Anthem and CIGNA - meaning more and more providers are becoming "out of network". This drives up out of pocket expenses even more.
If you are young, healthy and without a family, you can get away with the FedEx Choice option, and have that as a more or less catastrophic plan.
If you are middle aged, have a health issue or two and a family, you are going to take it in the shorts this time around and really should look at either supplemental insurance or hope your spouse can provide dual coverage.
As far as the IBT (lots of conversations going on there...) if you were to "call them", they'd state one thing.
SIGN A UNION CARD AND GET EVERYONE YOU WORK WITH TO SIGN ONE TOO.
Until and unless a union is certified - they aren't going to do a thing - if Express employees won't certify a union, why in the hell SHOULD the IBT do anything except lend a sympathetic ear and then forward you a bundle of union representation cards to sign?
Why do you think the mechanics are going to get a nice little boost to their bottom line?
Because they are the number one group that Express fears would unionize if they push them too much. The mechanics are the "canaries in the coal mine". From Express' point of view, as long as they can keep the mechanics happy, then they don't need to worry about the Couriers. Given the surplus of CDL holders in the country, Express isn't too worried about the RTD's unionizing (they'd be locked out).
As far as the replacement "powerpads" for Express being the same as Ground - all planned...
All it would take now is one major software revision and FedEx could have volume delivered (or moved) by whatever opco they please. I'm hearing there are massive problems with battery life, intermittent reception with dispatch and slower operation than the old powerpad. All problems which are being ironed out.
There has also been some rather curious activity as far as hiring additional dispatchers (check your JCATS2). Additional dispatchers are looking to be added to Express dispatch offices, while at the same time efforts are being made to combine Ground and Express dispatch operations into a single entity. The next sign of the "change" will be the enabling of same day on call pickups for Ground service - supposedly will happen sometime next year.
Since there hasn't been any real upswelling of signed union representation cards with the IBT - doubtful the increase in health care costs will cause any real changes there except among the mechanics, who will be taken care of - Express isn't anticipating any real problems with the Couriers.
So again, my advice to the current Couriers is to get out as soon as you can, or look forward to your career being converted into a part-time job with ever diminishing benefits. I've used the analogy of a frog in a kettle of water over a flame before - and it still holds. The temperature just jumped a few degrees in that kettle of water... what are you going to do about it?
Are you still holding out for a massive pay increase in March???
Unless you are a mechanic, you'll get a few percent and after you account for your increased health care premiums along with the ever present inflation, you'll have lost even more ground - as you have been since 2008 in real terms.
Think about it, from Express' point of view, they got away with gutting a pension plan that was worth about 15% of your gross per year, and replacing it with one that is worth 5% of your gross per year (if you are younger than 50 - which the overwhelming majority of wage employees are).
Express got away with that just over 4 years ago now. They did lose a number of people (myself included), but they maintained the revolving door and are getting the volume out (albeit with more accidents and RDLs). All part of the cost of doing business from their point of view.
Where do you think you fit within that grand equation of maximizing profits while your standard of living decreases year after year?
Either get out of Express or sign union representation cards with the IBT (they are the only game in town - believe me, I and others did legwork and confirmed no other unions will even TOUCH Express). Or you can bend over, let Express take away more and more each year until they figure they no longer need you - which will happen sooner rather than later...
