MFE being quoted

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

Bernie's status as an independent may prove to be an issue with getting on the ballot in NH.

 

[bbsam]

Bernie's status as an independent may prove to be an issue with getting on the ballot in NH.

He might not care. Not sure he's thinking to win but moving the Democrats to the left. That gives perhaps a better shot for MFE to get his national stage.

 

[FedGT]

After that he can head over to Athens and talk with Merkel and Hollande show them how FedEx does more for less, maybe he can fix Greece from a sloppy Euro exit using the same principles.

 

[bbsam]

After that he can head over to Athens and talk with Merkel and Hollande show them how FedEx does more for less, maybe he can fix Greece from a sloppy Euro exit using the same principles.

Possible. Austerity has historically not worked well.

 

[FedGT]

I can't imagine they won't leave. If they do we will see how long Spain and Italy will hold on, if they end I am guessing we will see how well the recession sturdy businesses hold up. May get a little rough.
Sorry for the derailment.

 

[oldrps]

/

I'm a 30 plus year Express employee with an advanced degree in a business field who has been around since before RPS even started. RPS was a scam, where the contractors were lucky to net $30k for a 60+ hour week. Why, oh why do you think Uncle Fred loved this business model, which was UPS Brown on the cheap, with an all owner-operator set-up. Then, Fred diverted hundreds of millions of Express profits to build-up the Ground infrastructure, stealing whenever and wherever he could from Express employees.

Smith gutted Express, and screwed his base of loyal employees straight in the butt, and he continues to take a poke whenever he can extract a few more dollars from us. Ground is the child of Express, and Express-style TMs run Ground the same way Express managers run Express, micromanaging every aspect they can. Sure, Ground has ISPs who are "independent", but totally dependent at the same time because it isn't really their business to run at all. Fred gives them a cut, but he runs the show.

As Smith built political power and alliances, he made sure Ground was covered and protected. The original model has lost-out legally time after time because courts rule that Ground drivers were (and are) employees. The ISP model is simply legal maneuvering that has, so far, made the new Ground business model above board.

FedEx Ground is a low-ball, low-rent operation that is unsafe, purely concerned about profit, and a magnet for low achievers such as yourself. Yes, I know nothing about Ground. Just look at their FMCSA score to see how "safe" the operation is. You and Dano should get together.

Your degree and experience at Express do not make you an expert on what happened at RPS or what happens at FedEx Ground. You say the same thing of anybody that says something about Express. Ground is not the child of Express, if anything, Ground has kept Express from going out of business.

With over 30 years in the transportation industry, you must realize that SHIPPERS, not the carriers, have made the switch to slower, cheaper ways. FedEx had to adapt. The shift of business from Overnight/2 Day to ground over the last 15 years would have left FedEx with their pants down without a Ground system. If Express grew their own ground service, they would have gone union. I think you know how much Fred does not like that. Fred knew this was coming and smartly purchased the needed service and it has paid very well.

Your numbers for what contractors net is low. The contractors at the terminal I worked at in the late nineties average gross was about $58,000/year. Nearly all of them were owner/operator, very few had multiple routes. This would net them about $36,000/year and they did not work 60 hours a week. Most worked about 45 - 50 hours a week. The way a contractor runs their business will determine how much they make. You must realize that EVERY expense they have reduces their tax liability and depreciation is your friend. Some contractors will make more and some will fail. It depends on how good of a business person they are.

Why wouldn't they put their money into Ground? It's making almost 20 cents on the dollar where Express is breaking even. Would you put your money into a business that does not grow. I would invest in something that grows at 20%. Your right that FedEx Ground is a low-ball, low-rent operation. That's why they make money and Wall St. likes that and that is who Fred caters to. After 30 years you should know that.

The legal and safety problems of the FedEx Ground model will continue just as they have for the past 30 years. It isn't new and they will adapt or pay.

Personally, I would never become a contractor, but I have known many people who have started businesses (not FedEx). They would work seven days a week, over 80 hours a week, and lose tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars. When you compare a FedEx Ground contractor business to that, you will see it is not as risky of a venture. If the courts one day rule they are employees, then they can get a very large payout in the settlement. Makes being a contractor even better.

 

[Route 66]

Witch mean more wear and tear on the body.

Yup!....witches are mean!

 

[Crozz]

Yup!....witches are mean!

Yea my forte isn't spelling. You can read between the lines and learn something or pass my quotes. Doesn't matter one way or the other.

 

[l22]

His statement holds significantly less weight when you realize that MFE is an entry level Express lackey who hates his job and the company he works for and not a Ground contractor who would have the experience and first-hand knowledge to make such comments..

Not at all. People like MFE have given many years of service to this company and have seen and know a lot about this industry. The "entry level Express lackeys" you speak of were the ones whose hard work and dedication built up the company and the company was supposed to continue looking out for them. For you to assume that a frontline employee doesn't know anything about the company just because they hate the way things have become is very unfounded but then again, you must be drinking quite a bit of the kool-aid. You are taking liberties with statements and attempting to simplify them into terms you can use to create lies. In reality, things aren't as simple as you've stated.

 

[CJinx]

People like MFE have given many years of service to this company and have seen and know a lot about this industry.

No. An express driver with 30 days, 30 months, or 30 years of experience simply does not have the credentials to be commenting on the Ground business model or company/contractor business relationships. Pretend you're a reporter and you're covering a hurricane hitting Louisana; do you quote someone who was in Spokane at the time or New Orleans?

If the story was about the business practices of Fedex Express and the abuse of it's employees, then MFE would have the credentials to comment. I just don't see this story happening; not because it is some huge conspiracy and Smith has virtually everyone in his back pocket, but because it is not an original story. It is the same old song sung by anyone who felt that their paycheck didn't accurately reflect their workload. They only reason the media cared about the whole McDonalds / 15 bucks an hour fiasco is because those people were willing to walk out and lose their jobs without the protection of a union. MFE won't do that, so the media doesn't care about his story and neither do thousands of unemployed people who would gladly trade places with him.

 

[Cactus]

No. An express driver with 30 days, 30 months, or 30 years of experience simply does not have the credentials to be commenting on the Ground business model or company/contractor business relationships. Pretend you're a reporter and you're covering a hurricane hitting Louisana; do you quote someone who was in Spokane at the time or New Orleans?

 

[59 Dano]

You could have moved on. You could have moved up. You could have moved over to UPS and made scads more money doing the same work

Oh CJ, he used to work for UPS!

 

[59 Dano]

Ah, cut the guy a little slack. I suspect he probably finished his undergraduate degree right around the early 80's recession during the first Reagan administration. Statistically speaking, regardless of your educational background, your odds of economic "success" are much less likely if you finish college during a recession (I have a link to a pretty interesting article in the Atlantic from some years back if anybody is interested.) By the time he finished his "advanced" degree he probably figured making the switch wasn't worth it, as Fedex was still a decent middle class job. The guy is annoying, but I guess his professional discontent isn't all self-inflicted (although, I'm guessing his personality doesn't help). I knew many college grads that started with the company during various periods of marginal economic development, and they all wound up begrudgingly making a career out of it.

He couldn't find a better job in 30 years with an advanced degree? LOL!!

 

[bbsam]

@MrFedEx hasn't had much to say on this, has he?

 

[59 Dano]

Now you need the format fo get this out where somebody might give a damn.

I think you should contact Bernie Sanders.

Agreed. Of all the candidates in the 2 major parties, he has memorized the most cliches. If my state has a primary for the Democrat party, I will definitely vote for him. I would be happy beyond words if he wins that party's nomination.

 

[1fedexFAILURE]

@MrFedEx hasn't had much to say on this, has he?

And that bothers you..why???

 

[bbsam]

And that bothers you..why???

If you don't know then you really are clueless.

 

[1fedexFAILURE]

If you don't know then you really are clueless.

I assume fascination..

 

[bbsam]

I assume fascination..

Sure. Let's go with that.

 

[MrFedEx]

View attachment 46912

Yes. This train is off the tracks. Major derail. I've been following Ground since it's inception, listened to all of the lies, and watched it prosper at the expense of Express employees. The one thing that is always present at FedEx is micromanagement and extreme control...even at Ground. The "independence" of Ground is a magician's trick, and nothing else. Fred pulls an ISP out of his ass at the appropriate time and the crowd of regulators oohs and ahhs. But FDX runs this dog and pony show, not Sammy, or Boris, or Yakov. The "trick" is getting old, and Ground has a terrible reputation except for cost, plus you're killing your OTR drivers as fast as you can hire them. Can you say FMCSA?

That's a recipe for intervention, legal and otherwise. And Bernie Sanders would call Ground one of the biggest scams out there, Sammy, so maybe you'd better hope he doesn't become too informed.