Pilots protest!

[realbrown1]

Hey genius, the playing field isn't level, and we're not in the position to change it. You have the Teamsters, who won't give us the time of day. And I have put my neck on the line talking to coworkers about unions. And I've identified myself several times on this forum. Just remember this: plenty of industries have been ruined in the U.S. because unions kept demanding more and more. At some point people need to realize they have enough, more than enough, learn to live with it. FedEx can't ship it's jobs overseas, but it could shut down if pilots refuse to fly or unionized couriers strike over unrealistic pay. They can do better, but they can't print money. If pilots went on strike for even better pay than what they already have, I doubt too many couriers will be sympathetic with the extra burden it'll put on us. Go pilots! Buy that yacht! Get your own jet!

So sit back and do nothing but complain about how good unionized employees have it over you.
Let me know how that works out for you.

 

[purplesky]

If Ground keeps taking market share from UPS, and UPS drivers keep wanting more, what happens to UPS at some point? Can UPS keep paying ever higher wages if they have reduced revenue? At some point drivers have to be realistic about the fact that they do make good money and shouldn't jeopardize the golden goose that makes it happen.

UPS is short drivers nationwide. Feeders and package.

All these new drivers off the street and from inside do not make top scale for several years.
Average wage is not that high nationwide when you average in all drivers.

UPS is going to save big money once the LNG fleet is fully implemented.

 

[dezguy]

Seriously? When is enough enough? When the pilots organized it immediately was put on couriers to settle for less to pay them more. Everything that costs the company more ultimately is paid for with takeaways from the couriers. They make plenty.

Wait, so I'm supposed to be sore at the pilots because they had the courage to stand up to a company who has a long history of taking advantage of it's employees? The pilots aren't the ones who put it on the couriers to settle for less, FedEx did that. FedEx is the ones I am sore at, not the pilots.

If and when we as a group have the courage to stand up to FedEx and organize and force FedEx to fair collective bargaining, then and only then will we start being treated fairly. It is no fault of the pilots that we're treated the way we are.

 

[Cactus]

Need some cheese with that whine?

Hey realbrown1, speaking of whine and cheese, what does it say under your name?

 

[M I Indy]

Take it easy on Van, he knows not his whining, and he knows not when to quit! He embraces the "settle" rather than the "fight" mentality. The poster child of what a courier is to Ex. "Complain and just do it, preferably off the clock!"

 

[realbrown1]

Hey realbrown1, speaking of whine and cheese, what does it say under your name?

I never liked Hoffa. IMO he always had his best interest at heart.
That being said, we are hundreds of times better off having the teamsters, than not having them.
Fed Ex employees would be too, if you guys would just fight to unionize.

 

[vantexan]

If the pilots ever do take a pay cut that money won't be going to any FDX couriers. It will go to Fred the pig Smith and to shareholder value.

It does sound like some people on here are jealous. I don't blame FDX couriers for being upset about their pay packages but the FDX pilots have nothing to do with what Fred the pig Smith is doing to his drivers on the ground.

FDX does not give a damn about its employees. Thats already been established.

And yet every time FedEx has to shell out more it's the couriers who take it in the wallet.

 

[vantexan]

Take it easy on Van, he knows not his whining, and he knows not when to quit! He embraces the "settle" rather than the "fight" mentality. The poster child of what a courier is to Ex. "Complain and just do it, preferably off the clock!"

I prefer to speak directly to management about pay issues than to just skulk about on forums. And I back up what I say with hard work, not WAD. Keeps me out of trouble. When you guys can show me how a union is possible under current laws I'll agree with you.

 

[vantexan]

I agree with the first portion of your sentence but not the second. You need to be writing your representatives and making it clear they you will not vote for them if they vote for re-authorization of the RLA the next time that one's up for grabs. Politicians love campaign donations from billion dollar industries but they love their elected perch even more. Get enough people to make it clear to your congressmen that they'll be out of a job if they don't represent their constituents and you'll be one step closer.

Based on what happened with the FAA bill I won't hold my breath.

 

[vantexan]

So sit back and do nothing but complain about how good unionized employees have it over you.
Let me know how that works out for you.

What good does it do to complain about what UPS drivers make? My point at the beginning of this argument was that FedEx pilots make plenty, and if given more it'll come out of Express couriers' pockets. Apparently if they're union workers then whatever they get, even at others' expense, is good enough for you. And you can attack me all day long for the fact that FedEx couriers don't have a union, won't change a thing. People can talk all they want here about how couriers need a union, won't and hasn't changed anything. The most recent argument was that couriers should quit and travel the country spreading the good word to former coworkers about getting a national vote. If that's the fight you are talking about it ain't going to happen. Talk is cheap. Until Democrats get control of both houses and the presidency AND REFUSE BRIBES FROM CERTAIN COMPANIES the current rules will make it pretty much impossible to get a union in. The Teamsters know this, or do you think they aren't trying to unionize Express because they don't want our dues?

 

[purplesky]

And yet every time FedEx has to shell out more it's the couriers who take it in the wallet.

It sounds like every work group at FDX has been getting screwed.

Wouldn't you rather see the pilots get paid instead of all the profits just going to shareholders?

The sooner you realize that pilot pay does not come from your paycheck the sooner you will get to a happy place.

I have never once thought about UPS pilot pay. And considering I know several UPS sups who have a huge amount of UPS stock I have never been jealous about it.

 

[sandwich]

I keep hearing about this FedEx taking market share from us. Where is this happening? I keep seeing companies I pickup from switching back to us. I know one FedEx ground guy on this particular route I do quite often, when we pull up to the same building I bust out my hand cart and load it up to the top and proceed into the building. He pulls up grabs his two packages and casually walks in, and he typically holds the door for me lol, he's a cool guy. Today he just waves at me laughing while I'm loading up my handcart. He didn't have anything for the building today!! Then later we always end up at the same delivery, so we shoot the and I look in his truck and its pretty empty and he proceeds to tell me they are dissolving a route near by and they are giving him part of that route.

 

[59 Dano]

awww the poor pilots. I wonder what the issue is now? Do they want valets to carry them up and down the stairs of the plane?....extra cookie in their catered meals? I think the rest of us need to set up some sort of relief fund for them.

Some of them are okay, but overall I've never encountered such a group of prima donnas in my life.

When people from other lines of work wander in here and read threads, they probably think the same thing about couriers.

 

[realbrown1]

What good does it do to complain about what UPS drivers make? My point at the beginning of this argument was that FedEx pilots make plenty, and if given more it'll come out of Express couriers' pockets. Apparently if they're union workers then whatever they get, even at others' expense, is good enough for you. And you can attack me all day long for the fact that FedEx couriers don't have a union, won't change a thing. People can talk all they want here about how couriers need a union, won't and hasn't changed anything. The most recent argument was that couriers should quit and travel the country spreading the good word to former coworkers about getting a national vote. If that's the fight you are talking about it ain't going to happen. Talk is cheap. Until Democrats get control of both houses and the presidency AND REFUSE BRIBES FROM CERTAIN COMPANIES the current rules will make it pretty much impossible to get a union in. The Teamsters know this, or do you think they aren't trying to unionize Express because they don't want our dues?

But you were complaining about what the pilots were making. And they happen to be unionized. And part of the same Airlines deal you guys are under. And they managed some how to unionize.

 

[hypo hanna]

But you were complaining about what the pilots were making. And they happen to be unionized. And part of the same Airlines deal you guys are under. And they managed some how to unionize.

As I remember it, they unionized before RLA.

 

[CJinx]

The most recent argument was that couriers should quit and travel the country spreading the good word to former coworkers about getting a national vote. If that's the fight you are talking about it ain't going to happen.

Haha.
I threw that idea out there because that's what you want the union to do; incur all the costs, hours, and risk so you can reap the benefits at no expense to you.

If you won't put in the work to organize under the laws as they are currently written and you won't put in the work to try and change those laws, then all that's left is to complain on an anonymous online forum.

 

[vantexan]

But you were complaining about what the pilots were making. And they happen to be unionized. And part of the same Airlines deal you guys are under. And they managed some how to unionize.

Well gee, how many pilots are there and how many locations are they in? I wasn't complaining about what they're making, only about them being the highest paid in the industry and still wanting more. And the more will most likely come at the expense of couriers. There seems to be some idea floating around here that FedEx has an infinite amount of money and is just being selfish. The money is very finite, and if one area of the company gets more money, another will surely get less. About the only thing couriers have going now is that they've taken away so much that if they do take more there will probably be a mass exodus.

 

[vantexan]

Haha.
I threw that idea out there because that's what you want the union to do; incur all the costs, hours, and risk so you can reap the benefits at no expense to you.

If you won't put in the work to organize under the laws as they are currently written and you won't put in the work to try and change those laws, then all that's left is to complain on an anonymous online forum.

Excuse me but we couriers will still have to go on strike and many of us aren't in a position to do so. It's easy to talk, putting it into action is very different for people who live week to week. We can't force people to vote for a union, and if the Teamsters deem it too risky to even try then why should we?

 

[Cactus]

I never liked Hoffa. IMO he always had his best interest at heart.
That being said, we are hundreds of times better off having the teamsters, than not having them.
Fed Ex employees would be too, if you guys would just fight to unionize.

Agreed. Better than no union at all. Hoffa Jr. however is far from impressive. Wouldn't surprise me if he was in Fred S's pocket too.

 

['Lord Brown's bidding']

Anyone else notice the irony in Express employees are pretty restricted from unionization by the RLA, being "airline" employees, while the REAL airline employees of FedEx are not only union, they have parlayed that union leverage into being the best compensated in the industry....and they want 2nds!

Life is funny, sometimes.