Our Pilots

[MrFedEx]

For a company obsessed with paying the least amount possible to it's workers, our pilots have me somewhat confused. According to what I have heard, they have the best pay and benefits package in the industry, which is a closely-guarded secret kept from us lowly hourlies, lest we become upset. Why pay them top money, and compensate us with very little in comparison to the rest of our industry?

Essentially, our low wages and poor benefits subsidize our very special pilots, who actually DO have a retirement plan (a real one), much better benefits, and extremely high pay. I have a friend who is a First Officer for SWA, and he makes right around 80k per year, with decent benefits, and only a 401k for retirement. He actually works pretty hard in comparison to a FedEx pilot because he flies multiple short trips with many take-offs and landings instead of one round trip to OAK or a one-way trip to or from MEM. No limos to and from the airport, and no signing bonuses for accepting Fred's union contract offer each time it comes around. Yes, I did say union.

On the other hand, we have our feeder pilots, who are actually contracted to FedEx and make very little money in comparison to their big jet brethren. So, here's the question:

How can impoverished FedEx Express and equally penniless Mr. Smith afford such a lavishly-compensated line pilot workforce? After all, we are trying to cuts costs, right?

Please remember that these are the same pilots who look down their noses at us as low-class box tossers, and could care less if we eat crumbs off the floor from Fred. They have theirs, and that's all that matters.

 

[SmithBarney]

Because the Pilots were able to vote in a union for fair pay* and the Pilots unlike the couriers can cause alot of havoc quickly with our network.
One funny smell and they can shut down the flight-line for hours, so the threat of a strike scared the money out of Freds rear orifice.

They were able to have a majority VOTE because essentially they meet every night in Memphis, Couriers on the other hand are so spread out, we'd never be able to organize quickly enough
and efficiently enough to get a majority vote, not to mention the topped out couriers who "have theirs" and could care less about
new hires.

 

[Goldilocks]

For a company obsessed with paying the least amount possible to it's workers, our pilots have me somewhat confused. According to what I have heard, they have the best pay and benefits package in the industry, which is a closely-guarded secret kept from us lowly hourlies, lest we become upset. Why pay them top money, and compensate us with very little in comparison to the rest of our industry?

Essentially, our low wages and poor benefits subsidize our very special pilots, who actually DO have a retirement plan (a real one), much better benefits, and extremely high pay. I have a friend who is a First Officer for SWA, and he makes right around 80k per year, with decent benefits, and only a 401k for retirement. He actually works pretty hard in comparison to a FedEx pilot because he flies multiple short trips with many take-offs and landings instead of one round trip to OAK or a one-way trip to or from MEM. No limos to and from the airport, and no signing bonuses for accepting Fred's union contract offer each time it comes around. Yes, I did say union.

On the other hand, we have our feeder pilots, who are actually contracted to FedEx and make very little money in comparison to their big jet brethren. So, here's the question:

How can impoverished FedEx Express and equally penniless Mr. Smith afford such a lavishly-compensated line pilot workforce? After all, we are trying to cuts costs, right?

Please remember that these are the same pilots who look down their noses at us as low-class box tossers, and could care less if we eat crumbs off the floor from Fred. They have theirs, and that's all that matters.

So true...

 

[DorkHead]

Fred S`s plan--Divide then Conquer.

 

[MrFedEx]

Fred S`s plan--Divide then Conquer.

Yep. he's pretty good at it. I'm sure he's famiiar with Machiavelli.

 

[XFILED]

"Enjoying a cigar watching the waves roll",Chicks dig our leather jackets" Sounds like our pilots are living the high life with some of their comments I stumbled upon in this pilots forum...

lifestyle of a fedex pilot - Airline Pilot Central Forums

 

[DOWNTRODDEN IN TEXAS]

They were able to have a majority VOTE because essentially they meet every night in Memphis, Couriers on the other hand are so spread out, we'd never be able to organize quickly enough
and efficiently enough to get a majority vote, not to mention the topped out couriers who "have theirs" and could care less about
new hires.

Soon, very soon, they will be wishing they had listened in 97 when they had the chance, that or stand around with those big deer-in-the-headlight eyes wanting to know what happened.

 

[TUT]

Should have been a pilot. Skilled vs Unskilled. This isn't a new thing.

 

[MrFedEx]

Should have been a pilot. Skilled vs Unskilled. This isn't a new thing.

I'm not saying they don't deserve to make a good living. It is a highly skilled job. But why do they get paid 3-4 times as much as my SWA FO buddy for doing less work? Legally, they can only have 60 flight hours per month, so they all probably fly a similar amount of hours. My point is, however, why do FedEx pilots receive the top pay in the industry, especially when we are "broke"?

 

[Glorifiedpackmule]

I'm not saying they don't deserve to make a good living. It is a highly skilled job. But why do they get paid 3-4 times as much as my SWA FO buddy for doing less work? Legally, they can only have 60 flight hours per month, so they all probably fly a similar amount of hours. My point is, however, why do FedEx pilots receive the top pay in the industry, especially when we are "broke"?

Pilots-Service-Profit.

 

[Route 66]

I often hear that one of the major reason airline pilots are paid so well is because of the number of lives they are directly responsible for and the stress that goes along with that responsibility......so where does FedEx fit in to this equation? Are our pilots uber-stressed out over the well-being of the thousands of golden packages riding behind them?

Like Mr. FedEx says, I don't begrudge these guys a good living, but let's keep it real. Ya know what really frosts me? Is seeing the caterers arrive every night with their free meals. Yeah, while I'm packing my own lunch for my shift, these prima donnas are getting Fred-paid meals delivered to them, as if I can afford to feed myself and they can't.

 

[CJinx]

I imagine it is a hell of a lot harder to replace a pilot than a courier. Since they have a unique skillset and a union, it makes sense that the company would be kissing their collective asses to keep them onboard rather than risk a pilot quitting or going rogue with a plane full of cargo or a strike.

 

[MrFedEx]

I often hear that one of the major reason airline pilots are paid so well is because of the number of lives they are directly responsible for and the stress that goes along with that responsibility......so where does FedEx fit in to this equation? Are our pilots uber-stressed out over the well-being of the thousands of golden packages riding behind them?

Like Mr. FedEx says, I don't begrudge these guys a good living, but let's keep it real. Ya know what really frosts me? Is seeing the caterers arrive every night with their free meals. Yeah, while I'm packing my own lunch for my shift, these prima donnas are getting Fred-paid meals delivered to them, as if I can afford to feed myself and they can't.

The real skill and stress for airline pilots lie in completing the training and in takeoffs and landings, particularly in bad weather. They absolutely do have a high level of skill and responsibility, but why do they deserve top dollar in an industry that is very competitive in terms of compensation? I used the example of SWA, where pilots fly far more cycles than FedEx line pilots, who have a relatively easy job compared to some carriers. I object to the princely sums they receive because it is out of line with the rest of the company, and the industry.

Please notice that only the pilot and top executive workgroups have different pay and benefit packages from the rest of the opco. The pilots have a regular pension, not the PPP, and our top execs also have their own separate health and retirement plans. Also notice that we are never told what those plans are, because they are no doubt far superior to the crap deals we get.

Like I said, our low wages subsidize these 2 workgroups, and that's fine with them. It chaps my hide when I see them arrive in the limo and then be treated like the "royalty" they aren't. We are scum to them, and also to upper management.

Hey, we are an impoverished company on it's way down the toilet, right? Maybe it's time to take a look at the compensation levels of certain overpaid and ineffective (in the case of upper management) workgroups.

 

[TUT]

I'm not saying they don't deserve to make a good living. It is a highly skilled job. But why do they get paid 3-4 times as much as my SWA FO buddy for doing less work? Legally, they can only have 60 flight hours per month, so they all probably fly a similar amount of hours. My point is, however, why do FedEx pilots receive the top pay in the industry, especially when we are "broke"?

I dunno but that is the market. Why? Skilled, limited and union. You know the answers, you are asking why life isn't fair. No reason to fight brother vs brother, at least prior you were aiming higher and more accurately.

 

[vantexan]

I dunno but that is the market. Why? Skilled, limited and union. You know the answers, you are asking why life isn't fair. No reason to fight brother vs brother, at least prior you were aiming higher and more accurately.

The pilots are our brothers? Yeah, they're fighting the Man, LOL!!

 

[vantexan]

I imagine it is a hell of a lot harder to replace a pilot than a courier. Since they have a unique skillset and a union, it makes sense that the company would be kissing their collective asses to keep them onboard rather than risk a pilot quitting or going rogue with a plane full of cargo or a strike.

When has a pilot ever gone "rogue" with a plane? Let's see, I make great money, great bennies, easy hours, but I think it's worth going to prison by commandeering this jet and landing it somewhere other than the filed flight plan to show the company who's boss?

Company to rogue pilot: Don't worry, when you get out you'll still have your great job waiting for you!

 

[MrFedEx]

When has a pilot ever gone "rogue" with a plane? Let's see, I make great money, great bennies, easy hours, but I think it's worth going to prison by commandeering this jet and landing it somewhere other than the filed flight plan to show the company who's boss?

Company to rogue pilot: Don't worry, when you get out you'll still have your great job waiting for you!

Actually, a FedEx pilot about to be fired did go rogue and crazy when he tried to take over that DC10 and crash it into the Hub.

 

[vantexan]

Actually, a FedEx pilot about to be fired did go rogue and crazy when he tried to take over that DC10 and crash it into the Hub.

Was he a pilot or just a jumpseater?

 

[TUT]

The pilots are our brothers? Yeah, they're fighting the Man, LOL!!

They are a lot closer to you then the 1%'ers. You starting fighting everybody, you are certainly fighting a losing battle. There are plenty of people doing less fo9r more than a Fedex pilot making 150K, don't be jelly. The top 400 earners in the US are bringing home 350 million plus per. But your a Repub, it's all good right? If you ain't making bank, you ain't try'n.

 

[thedownhillEXPRESS]

Was he a pilot or just a jumpseater?

He was probably one of those "Ground" pilots.....