MrFedEx
Engorged Member
Wow, isn't FedEx a great company? They take all that trouble to send out a wonderful "retirement" planning guide so you can "plan today" and "play tomorrow" (in retirement). As usual, the reality is a lot different than the hype. First, take a look at the pie chart on page 5, which includes FedEx as one of the companies that has preserved it's pension plan. Really? It's very self-serving of FedEx to call the PPA a "pension plan" but they give themselves credit for it anyway. Maybe they should have modified the pie chart to show the percentages of companies that substituted a crap pretend pension in place of a real one. Second, based on our wages, how are you going to get anywhere close to the figures quoted for funding an adequate retirement? Maybe all of those shiny smiling faces in the pictures wouldn't be so happy if they did the math. Good luck on reaching the goal numbers.
Even the old plan wasn't very generous. For example, a good friend of mine is a FedEx ops manager with 20 years of service, most of those under the old plan. Even though his 5 highest years were all over $100,000, he'll still receive right around $3,000 per month at his normal retirement age. That isn't very good, is it? Under the PPA, he (and the rest of us) will do significantly worse. But none of that seems to be mentioned in our glossy little "planner". Wonder why?
In the event we go union, we shouldn't be content if the company offers to scrap the PPA and bring-back the old plan. Both suck, and we deserve better. Talk to the UPS package car driver on your route and ask him or her what they will be receiving when they hang it up. Chances are, they can also leave sooner based on the 80 and out provision in their Teamster contract. In comparison, we lose all around.
Don't drink the Fool-Aid, even if it comes to you in a form that makes it seem that the company has your best interests at heart, because they don't. They're hoping that mailings like this will fool many employees into thinking that they don't need a union. We do. Keep trying, Fred.
Even the old plan wasn't very generous. For example, a good friend of mine is a FedEx ops manager with 20 years of service, most of those under the old plan. Even though his 5 highest years were all over $100,000, he'll still receive right around $3,000 per month at his normal retirement age. That isn't very good, is it? Under the PPA, he (and the rest of us) will do significantly worse. But none of that seems to be mentioned in our glossy little "planner". Wonder why?
In the event we go union, we shouldn't be content if the company offers to scrap the PPA and bring-back the old plan. Both suck, and we deserve better. Talk to the UPS package car driver on your route and ask him or her what they will be receiving when they hang it up. Chances are, they can also leave sooner based on the 80 and out provision in their Teamster contract. In comparison, we lose all around.
Don't drink the Fool-Aid, even if it comes to you in a form that makes it seem that the company has your best interests at heart, because they don't. They're hoping that mailings like this will fool many employees into thinking that they don't need a union. We do. Keep trying, Fred.