I Love Fred

[Goldilocks]

Btw... Just to clear up any confusion I give a 100% effort to this screwed up company.. I am a hard working guy trying to support a family on 450 dollars a week. I just wanted to get that out there in case anyone thought i was just another lazy idiot. Thanks FedEx.

No one is saying that you are "another lazy idiot." Anyone that is a courier with Fedex works their tails off.

 

[Goldilocks]

OMG!!!!!!!!! She got hers...



I was cheated out of a pension in 2008 for starters - but you managed to get yours....

I did fend for myself and got the hell out of Express - how's that for "change". If I had stayed as a wage employee, I WOULD be living in poverty now. I wasn't going to sell my soul to Fred for a slight boost in compensation, so I threw JCATS in the trash and got the hell out.

Cheated?

 

[Ricochet1a]

Cheated?

I didn't "stutter".... I was cheated out of a pension in 2008.

 

[Ricochet1a]

No one is saying that you are "another lazy idiot." Anyone that is a courier with Fedex works their tails off.

They'll never say that you are lazy (or an idiot - but in their mind anyone working for what you are working for is an idiot) - you just aren't motivated (or intelligent) enough to properly kiss Fred's posterior to move up within the "organization'.

See, in their mind, those who don't "move up" are lucky to get what they do get. It is how they internally justify what they got, while simultaneously justifying what you AREN'T getting.

 

[DS]

They know that if Express really wanted to play hardball, they could end up being put on a route that a 20-something struggles with, and they'd end up in physical therapy if they had to do it for a month.

I'm a 57 yr old ups driver,and you'd be surprised how much your body can take.
Mind you I don't swing,but I have a heavy route.
You young guys should move here to Canada and get on in Calgary or Edmonton.
Hiring ft drivers off the street.
In 2.5 yrs you will be making $25.00 an hour plus OT.
Hiring in the Maritimes as well.
I'm pushed to the limit,but it sounds like fedex is even worse.

 

[Goldilocks]

Listen, at one time, I believe in the 90's we went 5 years without a raise. I chose to stay. That was MY CHOICE, not FS. People can leave just like you did at anytime. It worked out great for you, because its sounds like you have that winners attitude. And I mean that in a good way. There is no way I could support myself with my Traditional Pension. On the other hand we have socked money away in the 401k since day one....

 

[Ricochet1a]

I'm a 57 yr old ups driver,and you'd be surprised how much your body can take.

I have no doubt that you are physically conditioned for your job.

To put this argument into perspective, imagine that you spent your day driving, doing maybe 8 stops per hour, and delivered mostly "flats". Your physical condition would be markedly different from what it is now.

Now, take an Express Courier that has been doing the above scenario for over 5 years, then throw them onto a route where they are required to get off 12+ stops per hour, dealing with pieces that weigh on average 40-60 pounds - they aren't physically conditioned to that sort of activity, and they would end up hurting themselves after about a month of doing that.

I had this argument with topped out Express Couriers when I was in - they knew they had the "easy" routes - and weren't going to risk what they had (by signing a rep card), to possibly get a few bucks an hour more (they wouldn't benefit NEARLY as much as those at the bottom would if Express organized). They knew that they had to keep their easy route, or they'd be practically signing themselves out of a job.

That was part of the very real threat Express made (and makes) to its older Couriers - if they start agitating for change, Express will start reassigning routes and the older Couriers will be out of a job within a few months (they'll hurt themselves on a heavy route, end up not being able to work for over 90 days and then be out of a job). Oh yes, they could come back if they took more than 90 days to recover, but they'd be left taking the worst route in the station - which they knew they couldn't handle. Those over 45 know not to agitate too much, they'd end up agitating themselves out of a job.

All "industrial athletes" know that a large part of the job is conditioning. Many Express Couriers aren't conditioned to handle the heavy routes - they are used to the light routes. They do literally live in fear of hurting themselves, being out for more than 90 days (losing "their" route), then end up being given the worst route in the station when they return. For employees who are out for more than 90 days, seniority means NOTHING when it comes to coming back and getting a route - they are given what is available.

 

[Goldilocks]

I'm a 57 yr old ups driver,and you'd be surprised how much your body can take.
Mind you I don't swing,but I have a heavy route.
You young guys should move here to Canada and get on in Calgary or Edmonton.
Hiring ft drivers off the street.
In 2.5 yrs you will be making $25.00 an hour plus OT.
Hiring in the Maritimes as well.
I'm pushed to the limit,but it sounds like fedex is even worse.

Sounds Great! My Husband is 52 and I am 53 and can still hang with young ones.

 

[Goldilocks]

I have no doubt that you are physically conditioned for your job.

To put this argument into perspective, imagine that you spent your day driving, doing maybe 8 stops per hour, and delivered mostly "flats". Your physical condition would be markedly different from what it is now.

Now, take an Express Courier that has been doing the above scenario for over 5 years, then throw them onto a route where they are required to get off 12+ stops per hour, dealing with pieces that weigh on average 40-60 pounds - they aren't physically conditioned to that sort of activity, and they would end up hurting themselves after about a month of doing that.

I had this argument with topped out Express Couriers when I was in - they knew they had the "easy" routes - and weren't going to risk what they had (by signing a rep card), to possibly get a few bucks an hour more (they wouldn't benefit NEARLY as much as those at the bottom would if Express organized). They knew that they had to keep their easy route, or they'd be practically signing themselves out of a job.

That was part of the very real threat Express made (and makes) to its older Couriers - if they start agitating for change, Express will start reassigning routes and the older Couriers will be out of a job within a few months (they'll hurt themselves on a heavy route, end up not being able to work for over 90 days and then be out of a job). Oh yes, they could come back if they took more than 90 days to recover, but they'd be left taking the worst route in the station - which they knew they couldn't handle. Those over 45 know not to agitate too much, they'd end up agitating themselves out of a job.

All "industrial athletes" know that a large part of the job is conditioning. Many Express Couriers aren't conditioned to handle the heavy routes - they are used to the light routes. They do literally live in fear of hurting themselves, being out for more than 90 days (losing "their" route), then end up being given the worst route in the station when they return. For employees who are out for more than 90 days, seniority means NOTHING when it comes to coming back and getting a route - they are given what is available.

You gotta be kidding, I lifted 75lbs while I was 9 months pregnant, and ran 20 stops an hour.

 

[vantexan]

Listen, at one time, I believe in the 90's we went 5 years without a raise. I chose to stay. That was MY CHOICE, not FS. People can leave just like you did at anytime. It worked out great for you, because its sounds like you have that winners attitude. And I mean that in a good way. There is no way I could support myself with my Traditional Pension. On the other hand we have socked money away in the 401k since day one....

I came back for the pension. Was told I'd top out in 7 to 8 years too. By the time they terminated the pension plan the economy was tanking. Eventually had health problems and that plus the economy keep me in a job that I'll never top out in. It isn't as cut and dried as leaving if you don't like it for many of us. Just accept that you got yours because you got in early enough. I'd be in your situation too but I messed up leaving when they weren't giving raises. But that doesn't do anything for the many thousands who've had to accept a lot less for not getting in when you did. Swing driver? About a dollar an hour more for being a human ping pong ball. Newer swings will work forever without topping out either. And all those extra hours will be drying up soon. You are living in the past while the harsh reality of the future is bearing down on us like a freight train. There's not much use in saying the top out situation needs to be addressed because they've been telling mid-range employees for over 10 years now that they're looking into it. We've been played for suckers. Hope you're right when you said they'd take care of us in a buyout. Past performance indicates we'd better not get our hopes up.

 

[Ricochet1a]

You gotta be kidding, I lifted 75lbs while I was 9 months pregnant, and ran 20 stops an hour.

And there are many (I'd dare venture most) women FedEx Couriers that couldn't lift 75lbs to save their souls - cold hard truth and most Couriers know this.

Keep on posting, you are making my arguments for me.

 

[Ricochet1a]

You are living in the past while the harsh reality of the future is bearing down on us like a freight train.

Damn, I seem to remember reading a variation of that simile some time ago...

 

[vantexan]

You gotta be kidding, I lifted 75lbs while I was 9 months pregnant, and ran 20 stops an hour.

I've transferred into 5 different rts, among others, that were reconfigured after I left because people taking them over couldn't handle them. On top of that I did without a car for a number of years, walking or riding a bike to work. In one south Texas city I walked 3 miles each way in high heat and humidity. And you know what? I've been running an extended rt for 3 years that's about the miles and beyond unloading cans I no longer want to hump like that. And most people by the time they're 50 either don't want to or can't. I've known exceptions, but don't kid yourself, time catches up with you sooner or later. The older guy trying to keep pace with 20 and 30 something's is much more likely to blow out a knee or back. Another reason FedEx would like to see older couriers leave besides the higher pay. And now they're expecting us to keep pace with inflation, if even that much, with pay raises. Not much of a career to look back after 25 years and realize your purchasing power isn't much more than when you started. We work hard, and should be rewarded for it.

 

[vantexan]

Damn, I seem to remember reading a variation of that simile some time ago...

 

[Glorifiedpackmule]

This is a great place to work!

 

[Glorifiedpackmule]

Just kidding... just wanted to see what it felt like to say something that foolish. It felt like a lie.

 

[DS]

To put this argument into perspective, imagine that you spent your day driving, doing maybe 8 stops per hour, and delivered mostly "flats". Your physical condition would be markedly different from what it is now.

8 stops an hour? At ups,a stop is a stop.Even if it involves an 80 pc delivery of 70 lb boxes.
I see your point about getting slower as you get older,but even I never end up under 11 .

 

[vantexan]

This is a great place to work!

You're getting paid to post here? How do I get in on that?!!

 

[Ricochet1a]

I don't get much in the way of direct "satisfaction" for all the writing I do in this forum - about the only satisfaction I do occasionally get is being told "You're right" - especially when I was told I was "wrong" prior. Thank you.

It does help to make the effort seem worth it. Given all of Fred's shills here, at times it seems like I'm writing on a wall in a forgotten corner of town with no one reading what is being written.

 

[vantexan]

8 stops an hour? At ups,a stop is a stop.Even if it involves an 80 pc delivery of 70 lb boxes.
I see your point about getting slower as you get older,but even I never end up under 11 .

Drive a 300+ mile extended rt. The only time you hit 11 an hr is when you run through a small town. Could do 25 an hr in some towns if I had the freight.