Is this standard procedure at fedex express ?

franknitty

Well-Known Member
Senior manager states, "I don't want ANY couriers breaking the rules in order to make service" ! Yet, management seems to turn a blind eye to the following: 1) drivers showing up for work 1 hour before their scheduled start time to reserve a truck for themselves, AND remove keys from other trucks in order to save trucks for their friends. 2) drive the truck around to the entrance of the building (while off the clock), punch-in for work, and 30 seconds later out the building headed to the route. 3) driving above the posted speed limit in order to make stem time to route area, make SPH, make stem time back to the station. 4) pickup stops while in a lunch break code. 5) swing couriers/drivers attempting to pickup a customer's stop as little as 15 minutes up to 2 hours before the ready time. swing couriers in some cases working so fast, breaking all sorts of rules in an attempt to show up and literally trying to make the regular courier who does his/her route by the book look bad to management and dispatch, returning back to the building 45 to 90 minutes earlier then the regular driver.

Does anyone else notice these rules being broken, along with other unsafe acts at you station, while managers and dispatchers act as if they don't see these things going on ? How's your stress level these days ? Is morale low at your station ? Don't worry, management probably has a pre-peak BBQ scheduled for you ! Once they serve you a brat or burger, some chips, and a cold bottle of pop watch your morale go up through the roof ! BBQs make the courier feel real good !
 

snackdad

Well-Known Member
Welcome Frank, we have been talking about all that stuff for years. Check out the history of threads. You will see lots of information here to support everything you claim. Every one in management knows all the rules are broken everyday. They could run a report telling them who is manually entering airbill numbers after lunch breaks. If you find the handwritten sheets with the AB numbers on them and shipper/ recipient info abbreviated like a secret code in trash cans, in supply areas etc., KEEP them! When you get home go on FedEx.com and track the airbill numbers. You will see a pattern of multiple residential releases within maybe minutes or seconds of each other. Sometimes the courier is smart enough to enter them in correct stop order mixed in with a few legitimate deliveries. Most times not, besides who care , nobody is checking,managers are getting their numbers, the courier is miserable and the general public's safety is risked. Fred is happy!
It is a little harder to prove during pickup cycle. Most couriers in my station work during their second half hour lunch break sweeping drop boxes and picking up regulars without scanning everything in. Be careful remembering which ones you scan and don't scan. If you double scan a package it can be a missed pick up. Couriers do it all the time because there is so much loose letters sliding around in the truck that have not been scanned in yet. I have a friend who is a dispatcher, they know exactly what is going on and could care less.
Keep those cheat sheets though, make copies, leave them around the station or break room. When we all stand up to the dishonesty of FedEx it may become a slightly better place but I doubt it.
 

MrFedEx

Engorged Member
Senior manager states, "I don't want ANY couriers breaking the rules in order to make service" ! Yet, management seems to turn a blind eye to the following: 1) drivers showing up for work 1 hour before their scheduled start time to reserve a truck for themselves, AND remove keys from other trucks in order to save trucks for their friends. 2) drive the truck around to the entrance of the building (while off the clock), punch-in for work, and 30 seconds later out the building headed to the route. 3) driving above the posted speed limit in order to make stem time to route area, make SPH, make stem time back to the station. 4) pickup stops while in a lunch break code. 5) swing couriers/drivers attempting to pickup a customer's stop as little as 15 minutes up to 2 hours before the ready time. swing couriers in some cases working so fast, breaking all sorts of rules in an attempt to show up and literally trying to make the regular courier who does his/her route by the book look bad to management and dispatch, returning back to the building 45 to 90 minutes earlier then the regular driver.

Does anyone else notice these rules being broken, along with other unsafe acts at you station, while managers and dispatchers act as if they don't see these things going on ? How's your stress level these days ? Is morale low at your station ? Don't worry, management probably has a pre-peak BBQ scheduled for you ! Once they serve you a brat or burger, some chips, and a cold bottle of pop watch your morale go up through the roof ! BBQs make the courier feel real good !

Keep a journal, and mark down anything that isn't legit. Document anything you can, and make sure you date information and include names of any other employees who were present. If you ever have to go to court, this will help save your bacon.

As snackdad said, this has been going on for years, and management is fully aware of it. In fact, they encourage it by intentionally looking the other way. Anything that makes their numbers look good tends to be "invisible" to management. If you get caught however, please be aware that you will be immediately thrown under the bus and that everyone in management will pretend that you acted solely on your own and that FedEx "strongly disapproves" of such behavior. It's kind of like every time Fred is about to lose a cookie out of his jar when FedEx is going to settle a lawsuit out of court. "FedEx denies any wrongdoing and will vigorously defend itself in court". In the meantime, Memphis is already cutting the check to avoid an even bigger payout when FedEx loses in court.

It's all a big game, and FedEx is an incredibly corrupt and immoral organization. Rotten from the top down, starting with the Feces-In-Chief, Mr. Smith.
 

DOWNTRODDEN IN TEXAS

Well-Known Member
BLASPHEMER!! Fred would NEVER allow one of his extremely appreciated couriers to commit such horridly flagrant acts of policy violation!!

Yeah, and monkeys will fly out of my butt and tomorrow we get our long anticipated union contracts.

I haven't done these things, but then I'm not on the road as much these days, and I play by their rules when it suits me to do so, just like management.
 

Jack_Burton

Active Member
Yes, this is standard procedure company wide. I've been demoted to a new route where I have to split my hour break up into three 20 minute breaks, while working and driving through them. Otherwise I would never meet the productivity numbers they are enforcing or return to the building with outbound in time. Nothing like speeding like a maniac and taking about both sides of the road and being reckless to earn the mediocre paycheck.
 

MrFedEx

Engorged Member
Yes, this is standard procedure company wide. I've been demoted to a new route where I have to split my hour break up into three 20 minute breaks, while working and driving through them. Otherwise I would never meet the productivity numbers they are enforcing or return to the building with outbound in time. Nothing like speeding like a maniac and taking about both sides of the road and being reckless to earn the mediocre paycheck.

Exactly. Someday, a courier is going to kill a carload of people and this will make the national news. As usual, it will take a tragedy before anything is done about the safety issues at FedEx Express.
 

Billy_Baconhead

Active Member
Hell every day at our station there are at least 4-5 people in work 30+mins early. They're racing out to take keys for trucks, putting tubs on shelf's, doing pre-trips....ALL before they punch in. Seriously how idiotic is this??? The ring leader will grab keys for all his/her friends. When they come in...he/she will hand them out.

Don't get me started on what the swing drivers get away with. Dear god! I was a swing...basically, your free to do whatever you want at all costs! **** safety, **** the customer just get back to the building 1hr early. It's funny when a swing will do someone's route and beat there RTB time by 1hr...now, I'm sorry but, this isn't possible without breaking every rule in the book. Then management wants to ask the courier "hey how come swing driver X made it back 1hr early on your route last week". Hey lets take a look at his roads....dum dum dum. Mr manager how did mr. swing driver only have 2mins of stem time when it takes 45mins to get back to the station. Hmm...I wonder if he took a break while driving back in? These managers really do think we're all BILLY BACONHEADS!
 

franknitty

Well-Known Member
We've been told at our station you CANNOT take a 20 minute break. Management has said breaks have to be in at least a 30 minute block, so we can't take a 20 minute break, but we can take a 45 minute break. So the long and short of it is, the minimum is 30 minutes, nothing less.
 

Rhoderunner

Well-Known Member
Yes, this is standard procedure company wide. I've been demoted to a new route where I have to split my hour break up into three 20 minute breaks, while working and driving through them. Otherwise I would never meet the productivity numbers they are enforcing or return to the building with outbound in time. Nothing like speeding like a maniac and taking about both sides of the road and being reckless to earn the mediocre paycheck.

Are you nuts !!!! You play into their hands doing this. DEMAND a check ride and sign NOTHING. Do your job by the book and DEMAND they show you how to get it done.
 

franknitty

Well-Known Member
I'm not kidding, my friend. Managers will tell you once or twice to take a minimum of 30 minimum for break, after that they OLCC the courier, and several ppl at our station have gotten a OLCC for this.
 

DOWNTRODDEN IN TEXAS

Well-Known Member
Yes, this is standard procedure company wide. I've been demoted to a new route where I have to split my hour break up into three 20 minute breaks, while working and driving through them. Otherwise I would never meet the productivity numbers they are enforcing or return to the building with outbound in time. Nothing like speeding like a maniac and taking about both sides of the road and being reckless to earn the mediocre paycheck.

Want to see how fast you pop up on the "screw-ups" report? Take a 15 minute break and then a 45, you'll still get your hour in, but the 15 minute break gets you noticed. On the other hand, 20 minute breaks are OK...who cares as long as you get your break, right?
 

DOWNTRODDEN IN TEXAS

Well-Known Member
Exactly. Someday, a courier is going to kill a carload of people and this will make the national news. As usual, it will take a tragedy before anything is done about the safety issues at FedEx Express.

And if this did happen, I hope and pray daily that it doesn't, but I guess it's more of a when than an if, it will make the evening news, and then Fred's CSI team will put a lid on it so fast that the newscasters will probably get their gag orders before the story airs. I saw this here in Texas a few years back, when a Ground tractor was involved in a pretty large accident, it made the morning news for about an hour, and that was the last you heard about it.

Memphis works really fast when it comes to covering their asses.
 

Cactus

Just telling it like it is
Want to see how fast you pop up on the "screw-ups" report? Take a 15 minute break and then a 45, you'll still get your hour in, but the 15 minute break gets you noticed. On the other hand, 20 minute breaks are OK...who cares as long as you get your break, right?

Just something else for Memphis to nitpick about. And another way they try to control us.
 

FedEx2000

Well-Known Member
Want to see how fast you pop up on the "screw-ups" report? Take a 15 minute break and then a 45, you'll still get your hour in, but the 15 minute break gets you noticed. On the other hand, 20 minute breaks are OK...who cares as long as you get your break, right?

The reason for this is that FAMIS will not allow anything less than a 20 minute break, you can enter it in your ppad, but FAMIS kicks it out and pays you for that time. So you show up as a break violation with over 8 hrs and less than an hour break.
 

MrFedEx

Engorged Member
The reason for this is that FAMIS will not allow anything less than a 20 minute break, you can enter it in your ppad, but FAMIS kicks it out and pays you for that time. So you show up as a break violation with over 8 hrs and less than an hour break.

Most of the time, you seem like a reasonable manager, so I'll pose a question that I hope you answer as a person, and not in manager mode, OK? Here goes.....How do you really feel about the direction Express is headed right now? It seems like Captain Smith is not only aiming directly for the iceberg, but he's asking for more speed as well.
 

FedEx2000

Well-Known Member
Most of the time, you seem like a reasonable manager, so I'll pose a question that I hope you answer as a person, and not in manager mode, OK? Here goes.....How do you really feel about the direction Express is headed right now? It seems like Captain Smith is not only aiming directly for the iceberg, but he's asking for more speed as well.

Well, I understand the quest for ever better productivity/profitability, we are a publicly traded company after all. I don't agree with the expectation of being 100% or better every single day. For a monthly average I can understand, mostly, but I don't think we should be writing people up that don't hit 100%. Whether it's a 1 yr or 30 yr courier that ends the month at 98.5%, do they really think we're going to get anyone better off the street? Maybe the plan really is to weed out some people through attrition and not replace them........this has not really been what I have personally seen though. I have a courier who has had a lot of personal problems out of his control the past year, and especially the past 2 months. This courier has been running slightly over 90% for the past 2 months without so much as an OLCC due to the circumstances, my Sr and Director have both been supportive of this. Now at some point the courier needs to re-engage and start to move back towards previously demonstrated performance, it can't go on like this forever. This is kind of an extreme case based on the circumstances, but no one is looking to hand out WL's for it.

We have replaced everyone we have lost with the exception of a FT mid-day courier, asking for 2 PT replacements instead.....one to cover the open PM and one for FO. The loop was able to absorb his P2 without much problem. The reality is that volume is down and we need to adapt, but we need to do it the right way, not by overreacting and cutting everywhere without really looking at it......if you do, you'll get caught with your pants down come peak. Also, who knows what is going to happen with the USPS and the next UPS Contract. (I doubt a strike will happen, but you never know) If your Sr. isn't getting the replacements that they need, they either aren't justifying them properly to engineering/director, or they don't want to put in the extra work and take the easy way out by just asking for a PTer.

I don't agree with the way some mgrs/stations handle the hours reductions we have been asked to achieve, i.e. forced breaks, telling you that you only have 3 mins for code 56, etc. Saw a post here the other day that said they were being told they had 2 mins for their post-trip. We are budgeted at 7 mins for the pre/post trip combined, so if you use 5 on the pre, then yes you only have 2 on the post......but be honest, do you do a FULL pre-trip the way it was taught everyday? Most don't use anywhere near 7 mins to do it, they use as much as it takes to fill out the VIR. Something that could come back to bite you if you end up in an accident or blow an engine and it is proven that a pre-trip wasn't done and could have prevented an issue that contributed to it. We get 5-7 mins for code 56, depending on the size of the bldg, # of DG/Int'l/DEX08, this can be done easier in smaller stations that don't have far to walk from sort area to checkout.

As frustrating as it is, I understand the purchase of new planes in lieu of new trucks. Older trucks are much cheaper to maintain than old planes and it doesn't cause an impact to an entire market if a 700 or two break down that day. The purchase of all the 2 engine/2 crew planes will easily pay off in the long run and we will have those planes for the next 30 years give or take. That said, we are purchasing 4,000 new trucks this year...so that will help, and I believe that part of the delay has been due to waiting to see what type of vehicle will best suit us in the years to come. Electric, hybrid, what size? Rather than having 15 different types of trucks, let the dust settle and wait for some major improvements to the electric/hybrid technologies before jumping in head-first with a large purchase on relatively new technology that could prove very expensive 5-10 years down the road. I hate dealing with rentals, but if the end game is worth it, then I'm ok with it for now.

I stated my opinions on pay before, so i won't go in to that again, but I do hope whatever the new plan is that it involves faster top out and some kind of mid-range adjustment. Mgmt is in the same boat here as hourlies, the bottom of range keeps moving up faster than the mid, so I know the frustration here.

As for major changes that have been tossed around on here such as E2/XS going to Ground, I have personally seen nothing that would indicate this, but I would not be surprised if it did happen eventually. I have not seen any Ground trailers at our ramp or Ground trailers with rollers in them etc. As for our Ppad being able to scan Ground and vice-versa, it only makes sense to co-develop a scanner that we can both use as it would be more cost-effective. If we do end up just having FO/PO/SO/2DAY AM maybe it would be for the best and allow us to focus on service again as a primary objective. I have seen an increased push for service coming from the region/district in the form of telling us to send out the baselines if we need them, not just cutting them regardless. I think the heat came b/c too many stations were running "fat" and not doing the right things on their own, hence the forced hand from above to make it happen. The stations that were already doing it right got pinched at the same time as a result. I have seen multiple posts on here about FTers barely getting minimums etc. Why do you think this is? Either your station is overstaffed or poorly planned/scheduled. Most mgrs are just trying to balance the demands of the corp/region/dist with the needs of their employees to keep their boss off their back and get a non-critical SFA. It can be done, but not an easy task as evident by the many examples that have been given on here of poor mgrs and those that have been fired or stepped down. More and more keeps getting put on our plates, as it has with hourlies, and eventually there is a breaking point which is different for everyone.

What is the alternative? Most companies are in a similar boat to one extent or another and aren't giving raises or are laying off, i.e. Bank of America possibly cutting up to 40k jobs. I just try to do my best to balance the interests of the company with the needs of my employees and customers. I do a lot of "hourly" jobs not b/c I don't want to pay someone else to do it, but b/c I have a budget to hit and often b/c there is no one else there to do it. Deliver pkgs on my way home, unload cans when a handler calls in sick, whatever it takes to get the trucks on the road sooner and the pkgs delivered on time.

All in all I would say I'm cautiously optomistic. There is a lot of uncertainty right now, but if we do what we have to do, I hope it pays off in the long run. I just don't won't sell my soul to get there and I have faith that there are still those within FedEx that who came up throught the ranks that are in a position to make a difference and have much more knowledge about where we are headed than I do. I have had a far different experience at FedEx than many on here as mine has been 99% positive. I attribute that to the people I have worked with, both managers and hourlies. I'm not sure if that really answered your question, but I haven't posted on here much lately so I guess I had a few things to cover!
 

Ricochet1a

Well-Known Member
In regards to FedEx2000's post...

A well balanced and bias free assessment, kudos!

Issues...

1) A few months before I left, there was much fuss raised about how "goal" was going to be an ACTUAL statistical mean expectation - there was a hand out to all the Couriers explaining how the goal was going to be a true statistical average, with the average being 100%. Some particular days would result in the Courier being above the calculated goal, some days would result in the Courier being below the calculated goal. The goal was the TRUE statistical average of expected performance. In theory, the goal on a week time scale should've been very close to actual performance, and over a longer time scale, the Courier should've nailed the expected goal within a percentage point.

From what is going on now, that all seems to have been thrown out the window and the goal now is not a statistical average, but rather a MINIMUM expectation that is to be met not on a weekly basis, but rather a DAILY basis. The absurdity of this is obvious. I know there wasn't a readjustment of the goal numbers from a year ago to now, so a situation exists where Couriers are being forced to cut corners whenever they are delayed for some reason, just to make sure they hit that minimum number - which in the past was an average number.

I'm glad you have made a point of this publically.

2) You seem to confirm something that I've heard in non-public conversation.

Senior managers AREN'T able to replace vacant Full-time positions without jumping through a variety of hoops, so they resort to replacing the FT position with a Part-time employee, quoting "or they don't want to put in the extra work and take the easy way out by just asking for a PTer".

The suggestion in non-public discussion is that the administrative morass to replace a vacant full-time position with a full-time hire is deliberate - is in large part due to the desire to gradually shift the proportion of Couriers from being weighted towards full-time positions to that of being part-time positions.

I'm not asking you to confirm if this is the intention of Express, but rather is this the net effect of the administrative burden that is placed on senior managers to indeed fill vacant full-time positions with full-time employees? If the overall net effect is indeed a shift in the proportion of Couriers away from full time to part-time, the reader can decide if this is deliberate.

3) Forced breaks....

Are you willing to state that the now seemingly common practice of management telling employees to take unpaid breaks when they are waiting for freight is a violation of either the letter or intent of previous Express policy (PEOPLE) in regards to the use of the paid code 43 (delay).

If an employee is forced to take a break under this policy, are they free to leave the building and attend to whatever business they please?

If the employee isn't free to leave the building, they are NOT on a break, since they do not have discretion as to what they'll do or where they may go (as if they were on an hour long "lunch break"). This is where the code 43 comes in - the employee is on "standby" for incoming freight, isn't engaged in doing any other activity but is NOT free to leave the work area and is still on the clock. Forcing an employee to go off the clock but then stating the employee has to remain in the work area is a clear violation of practically every (if not all) state's labor law.

I had many instances when management wanted me to take a break - I told them fine, I'd code in a break, leave the building and be back around a certain time. They stated, no, you have to remain in your work area. Presto, code 43, you're paying me. Never once had them try to alter my time card to put in an unpaid break in there - they knew I photocopied my time cards to prevent "corrections" from occurring which shorted me paid time.

4) You appear to point out the difficulty Express is having in readjusting its manning levels to match volume. Some stations have employees barely making minimums, other are playing the games with employees that have been written about here.

Are you stating the Express is so poorly organized, that they don't either trust, or have confidence in their district managers to assess the staffing levels at their stations and make appropriate assessments in regards to presence of either excess or deficient staffings and gradually make adjustments as needed? Stated another way, do district managers run their districts, or does Memphis micromanage the districts?

This would include making determinations of stations being overstaffed (for the volume they are handling) and either making reductions in force (as was done in 2009 in many locations), or offering some incentives for employees to transfer to stations with chronic understaffing?

What is going on is that Express is using a sledgehammer to try to adjust mismatches in staffing/work levels - and the results are having consequences which are showing up in forums such as this, as well has causing massive morale problems in the stations.

5) You stated you won't "sell your soul", to Express. You seem to have drawn a psychological line in the sand when it comes to Express. You more or less state you see things as "the glass is half full" - what would Express have to do, to make you decide that they have crossed that psychological line in the sand?

You already stated you are picking up work that in the past, you wouldn't otherwise be doing (filling in for missing wage employees or filling in to keep from going over budgeted hours). Do you honestly expect this to change - especially since there are strong indications that this is indeed the "new normal"?

You are now receiving (on an actuarial basis) about one-third of what you did in the past with regards to a pension. Your health insurance is being constantly diminished to the point where it is resembling what used to be referred to as "supplemental insurance". If you or a member of you family has a catastrophic medical event ($50,000+ in medical bills), you will spend months fighting (either Anthem or CIGNA) to have them indeed pay up to the amounts stated in your employee handbook.

I have first hand knowledge regarding this. Both Anthem and CIGNA are making absurd claims when high dollar amount events come in - that certain procedures weren't "pre-approved" or a particular provider isn't "in-network" when the physical facility is listed as being "in-network". It's not like you are in a positon when a patient to determine if a provider is "in network", after you've had you're chest cut open or are in traction. This can't be blamed on the health plan administrators, since Express is self paid when it comes to claims, the administrators are merely following the directives that Express stipulated in their contract.

What do you see as moving in a postive direction?

You have 11 years with Express, you have seen how the company has undergone a radical transformation from the company which was Federal Express (changed right before you started), to the company which is being molded right now.

What gives you hope that things will move in a positive direction for either yourself (as a salaried employee) or for the wage employees?
 

vantexan

Well-Known Member
Just an observation but it seems ironic that those with active warning letters are allowed to bid on JCATS postings but there are so few fulltime openings, mostly parttime. As I've mentioned earlier our sister station has lost 4 FTers in the last two weeks and yet only one FT was posted in JCATS. And I figured there'd be a push about now to get positions filled before Peak but the openings have been pretty sparse. Maybe understandable in many parts of the country but due to Texas weathering the bad economy pretty well our volume has been pretty steady. And yet hardly any Texas openings. One might conclude something's afoot.
 

FedEx2000

Well-Known Member
In regards to FedEx2000's post...

A well balanced and bias free assessment, kudos!

Issues...

1) A few months before I left, there was much fuss raised about how "goal" was going to be an ACTUAL statistical mean expectation - there was a hand out to all the Couriers explaining how the goal was going to be a true statistical average, with the average being 100%. Some particular days would result in the Courier being above the calculated goal, some days would result in the Courier being below the calculated goal. The goal was the TRUE statistical average of expected performance. In theory, the goal on a week time scale should've been very close to actual performance, and over a longer time scale, the Courier should've nailed the expected goal within a percentage point.

From what is going on now, that all seems to have been thrown out the window and the goal now is not a statistical average, but rather a MINIMUM expectation that is to be met not on a weekly basis, but rather a DAILY basis. The absurdity of this is obvious. I know there wasn't a readjustment of the goal numbers from a year ago to now, so a situation exists where Couriers are being forced to cut corners whenever they are delayed for some reason, just to make sure they hit that minimum number - which in the past was an average number.

I'm glad you have made a point of this publically.

2) You seem to confirm something that I've heard in non-public conversation.

Senior managers AREN'T able to replace vacant Full-time positions without jumping through a variety of hoops, so they resort to replacing the FT position with a Part-time employee, quoting "or they don't want to put in the extra work and take the easy way out by just asking for a PTer".

The suggestion in non-public discussion is that the administrative morass to replace a vacant full-time position with a full-time hire is deliberate - is in large part due to the desire to gradually shift the proportion of Couriers from being weighted towards full-time positions to that of being part-time positions.

I'm not asking you to confirm if this is the intention of Express, but rather is this the net effect of the administrative burden that is placed on senior managers to indeed fill vacant full-time positions with full-time employees? If the overall net effect is indeed a shift in the proportion of Couriers away from full time to part-time, the reader can decide if this is deliberate.

3) Forced breaks....

Are you willing to state that the now seemingly common practice of management telling employees to take unpaid breaks when they are waiting for freight is a violation of either the letter or intent of previous Express policy (PEOPLE) in regards to the use of the paid code 43 (delay).

If an employee is forced to take a break under this policy, are they free to leave the building and attend to whatever business they please?

If the employee isn't free to leave the building, they are NOT on a break, since they do not have discretion as to what they'll do or where they may go (as if they were on an hour long "lunch break"). This is where the code 43 comes in - the employee is on "standby" for incoming freight, isn't engaged in doing any other activity but is NOT free to leave the work area and is still on the clock. Forcing an employee to go off the clock but then stating the employee has to remain in the work area is a clear violation of practically every (if not all) state's labor law.

I had many instances when management wanted me to take a break - I told them fine, I'd code in a break, leave the building and be back around a certain time. They stated, no, you have to remain in your work area. Presto, code 43, you're paying me. Never once had them try to alter my time card to put in an unpaid break in there - they knew I photocopied my time cards to prevent "corrections" from occurring which shorted me paid time.

4) You appear to point out the difficulty Express is having in readjusting its manning levels to match volume. Some stations have employees barely making minimums, other are playing the games with employees that have been written about here.

Are you stating the Express is so poorly organized, that they don't either trust, or have confidence in their district managers to assess the staffing levels at their stations and make appropriate assessments in regards to presence of either excess or deficient staffings and gradually make adjustments as needed? Stated another way, do district managers run their districts, or does Memphis micromanage the districts?

This would include making determinations of stations being overstaffed (for the volume they are handling) and either making reductions in force (as was done in 2009 in many locations), or offering some incentives for employees to transfer to stations with chronic understaffing?

What is going on is that Express is using a sledgehammer to try to adjust mismatches in staffing/work levels - and the results are having consequences which are showing up in forums such as this, as well has causing massive morale problems in the stations.

5) You stated you won't "sell your soul", to Express. You seem to have drawn a psychological line in the sand when it comes to Express. You more or less state you see things as "the glass is half full" - what would Express have to do, to make you decide that they have crossed that psychological line in the sand?

You already stated you are picking up work that in the past, you wouldn't otherwise be doing (filling in for missing wage employees or filling in to keep from going over budgeted hours). Do you honestly expect this to change - especially since there are strong indications that this is indeed the "new normal"?

You are now receiving (on an actuarial basis) about one-third of what you did in the past with regards to a pension. Your health insurance is being constantly diminished to the point where it is resembling what used to be referred to as "supplemental insurance". If you or a member of you family has a catastrophic medical event ($50,000+ in medical bills), you will spend months fighting (either Anthem or CIGNA) to have them indeed pay up to the amounts stated in your employee handbook.

I have first hand knowledge regarding this. Both Anthem and CIGNA are making absurd claims when high dollar amount events come in - that certain procedures weren't "pre-approved" or a particular provider isn't "in-network" when the physical facility is listed as being "in-network". It's not like you are in a positon when a patient to determine if a provider is "in network", after you've had you're chest cut open or are in traction. This can't be blamed on the health plan administrators, since Express is self paid when it comes to claims, the administrators are merely following the directives that Express stipulated in their contract.

What do you see as moving in a postive direction?

You have 11 years with Express, you have seen how the company has undergone a radical transformation from the company which was Federal Express (changed right before you started), to the company which is being molded right now.

What gives you hope that things will move in a positive direction for either yourself (as a salaried employee) or for the wage employees?

Rico, wow....you read WAY too much in to what was simply my opinion, no deep dark look in to the inner working.

1) Nothing happens if someone doesn't hit their SPH daily, other than perhaps a discussion with their mgr. Hitting it monthly is still the expectation in regards to any PIP. It's just the usual push to achieve perfection every single day, sorry if that was unclear. It's not about cutting corners, it's about being consistent everyday, at least to the extent of what is within your control. The numbers have not been readjusted corporate wide, but locally SR Mgrs have the ability to adjust them with proper documentation/data/checkrides. The vast majority of SPH goals that were adjusted went down, not up.

2) I would not be able to confirm if this is the intent of FedEx or not, as this is simply my opinion. The engineers/directors have a responsibility to assess each request to replace a position and determine if it is truly needed. See the posts about FTers not getting minimums, doesn't make sense to approve a FT replacement in this situation. All I know is that whenever we have really needed to replace a FT position with another FT position we have been able to do so, sometimes needing to provide more justification in order to make it happen. Just seems like smart business to me rather then just blindly replacing everyone with looking at the situation locally. It may become a "net-effect", as you said, only in cases where the Sr knows they really don't need a FT replacement, or don't want t o put in the work necessary to justify it.

3) Not even close. I was never told to do so while I was a courier, nor have I ever done so as a mgr. I was simply referring to the claims of a few on here that have claimed to have had this happen to them. This seems to be a local issue at their respective stations. I have worked at 4 different stations in 3 different districts and have never seen this be the case.

If you are on break, I could care less if you leave, as long as you are back by a certain time if say we are going to have a 2nd sort at a specific time. In my experience, most don't want to waste the gas/time to drive home or wherever, they just hang out in the break room or chat with their mgrs.

4) With the speed at which our volumes have declined since around May, approx. 300k per day, yes it is difficult to adjust to that size of drop in a short time. If you over-react and the volume comes back in 3 months you are short-handed.....and what would have been the solution? Layoffs? Volume has been this much lower Yr over Yr going on 5 months now, something has to be adjusted. Part of this is making sure you have proper staffing, and not replacing FT positions if you don't need them. This is where the trust in the directors to determine staffing comes in, this is who is approving the replacements, prior to the region. So yes, I believe they do have confidence in the directors to do so. On the other end of the stick, what do you suggest if there is over staffing? Layoffs? We have simply chosen to not replace rather then cut deeper. Is that not preferable from an hourly standpoint? They are gradually making adjustments, whether it be through replacing FT with PT or attrition.

As for playing games with employees/hours.....that is just stupid and will burn them eventually. We are required to use the additional hours sign-up sheets and we have to track everything. Who got the hours, why, was in done in proper order due to seniority, etc. This is then audited by the district/region/corporate. They may be able to float under the radar for a while, but eventually someone will see it and legal will be all over them.

The "sledgehammer" approach, I think, is due to the desire to be "fair" with everyone by applying a blanket policy. If it was done another way, someone, somewhere, would complain that it's done differently somewhere else. (I'm looking at you California) So, in an effort to be fair and consistent, there are situations where it seems ridiculous, but must be done. The problem arises when mgrs/Srs make a decision at a local level that does not fall in line with what FedEx has put out there as the expectation.....this is often confused with FedEx not being consistent or not following policy, when in reality it is a lone mgr/Sr doing it.

5) I don't have a specific "line in the sand", but I'll know what it is when it happens.

Do I expect it to change, in regards to the "New norm"? I have no idea, all I know is that I will continue to do whatever I have to do to get the job done. I could care less if that means I unload ULDs or whatever.

Yes, the pension thing sucks, but I have been contributing to my 401k almost from day 1 thanks to another courier who took me under their wing when I first started and had very good knowledge of the company as a whole, so that helps. I can understand the frustrations of those that depended almost solely on their pension for retirement, but that has never been my approach. Also, many companies offer no pension whatsoever these days, so it could be worse.

I am in my low 30's, not married, no kids.....insurance has been more than adequate thus far in my life. I think I have been to urgent care once in the time I have been at FedEx, cost me a whopping $50 for an IV and some meds. My parents are self-employed......they would kill for my insurance, they are paying over $1,000 month for 2 people. I think the real problem lies with the insurance companies and health care providers that charge outrageous amounts for simple things..............but that is a whole other issue. This may change as i get older, but so far I have no complaints.

Positive direction? A resolution to mid-range pay and top out times would be a good start.....for both hourly and salaried. If you think the hourly top-out time is crazy, the salaried is just as bad or worse. I worked with a mgr who use to be a Sr and stepped down to an Ops, 27 years as a Sr/Ops manager, still not at top out. Oh, and ditch the SFA.....I believe it's a noble thought, but it just doesn't serve its stated purpose anymore. Hourlies use it as a means of "getting back" at their managers, and managers don't do with it what they are supposed to. It's failure is a joint effort.

What gives me hope? We continue to become more efficient, sometimes to a fault, and have cut a lot of fat corporate wide. We have invested heavily in emerging markets around the globe, hopefully that will pay off with higher inbound volumes to the US as well as improving our yield per package. More efficiency, higher revenue, and lower costs will hopefully equal improved pay/compensation for everyone involved when the economy finally stabilizes and improves.

We still have a lot of great people that do it right everyday regardless of the circumstances.........that gives me hope.
 
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