The Results are In

bbsam

Moderator
Staff member
That's right. Rico here tells you something, and it's up to you to do the research to prove his point for him. He's not going to put anything in proper context because he's in love with the sight of his own words.

Actually, R1a has been pretty damn accurate over the years.
 

59 Dano

I just want to make friends!
I've lost count of how many times his (or "the") story of what will happen to Express and Ground has changed.
 

DOWNTRODDEN IN TEXAS

Well-Known Member
That's right. Rico here tells you something, and it's up to you to do the research to prove his point for him. He's not going to put anything in proper context because he's in love with the sight of his own words.

Really? That's the best you could come up with? Ricochet's posts might at times seem to be a tad verbose, however, they are quite literally coming from the horse's (FedEx itself...you should know that by now since you probably share an office with one of the members of Fred's Elite Interweb Task Force CHARLIE FOXTROT ONE..) mouth and quite literally have almost all been dead on balls accurate. He has probably done more to inform the employees of FedEx than any one of ever will. I am glad that I have people like him in my corner, even though now it is proving to be a losing battle.
 

MrFedEx

Engorged Member
I've lost count of how many times his (or "the") story of what will happen to Express and Ground has changed.

The stories have been extremely consistent. So have your attempts to tell us that the Titanic is "safe and unsinkable". Double BS with whipped cream, a cherry, and purple and orange sprinkles.
 

Cactus

Just telling it like it is
Do I feel that Fred S has lied to us? NO, many situations are simply out of his control. Although, I do wish that he would address his Workforce via Frontline, no VP's involved, just Fred, like the old days.
Hey Goldilocks, You were doing well with your post until you got to this part. Yes Fred has lied and minipulated us. Remember if he's moving his lips he's lying. And what's this "situations out of his control?" Get a clue. Fred has paid hundred of millions of dollars over the years to lobbyists and influential politicians just so he can keep a union out therefore going against our rights as workers in the USA. Yeah he pays big bucks to keep our wages low and treats FedEx Ground employees (oops I mean independent contractors, yeah right) even worse so they have to rely on government assistance. It's true us FedEx Express people helped build this company from ground up with passion and pride but Fred's thrown it all away. He'll never address us like in the old days. He's long stopped caring about us.
 

MrFedEx

Engorged Member
Triple BS, dramatizing leaving the site as if someone cares, then comeback. That's doing a Favre.

No drama. No Favre. If I can make the site work I will, but right now I don't have the time. Go ahead and call names if you want. I could give a crap.
 

Goldilocks

Well-Known Member
Hey Goldilocks, You were doing well with your post until you got to this part. Yes Fred has lied and minipulated us. Remember if he's moving his lips he's lying. And what's this "situations out of his control?" Get a clue. Fred has paid hundred of millions of dollars over the years to lobbyists and influential politicians just so he can keep a union out therefore going against our rights as workers in the USA. Yeah he pays big bucks to keep our wages low and treats FedEx Ground employees (oops I mean independent contractors, yeah right) even worse so they have to rely on government assistance. It's true us FedEx Express people helped build this company from ground up with passion and pride but Fred's thrown it all away. He'll never address us like in the old days. He's long stopped caring about us.

I think he will.
 

Ricochet1a

Well-Known Member
I haven't seen this posted anywhere else, so I'll put it up here - you may already know it.

The "performance pay" for the last half of the prior FY will be 1% of gross wages for wage employees. I'm 98.5% certain - at least my source is.
 

Ricochet1a

Well-Known Member
Ricochet's posts might at times seem to be a tad verbose...

See, this is what the resident shill doesn't quite understand. I AM too "long winded" in my posts - I have to be. Getting complex points and arguments across does require some writing. But then our shill tries to slam me for "not giving full context"...

THAT'S WHY I START OFF A COMPLEX SUBJECT WITH A LINK TO OUTSIDE SOURCES FOR THE READER TO FAMILIARIZE THEMSELVES WITH THE TOPIC! (this not directed at "downtrodden in texas").

What is going on ISN'T something that can be summarized in a single pamphlet and let it stand. There was a reason for the investors conference call - THEY had questions as to the direction FedEx was going. The whole point of my linking the transcript was to prove that institutional investors KNEW what was up, but they were uncertain as to the timing or scope of the impending changes.

Things have reached the point in the last couple of months that even the long time skeptics have finally admitted that Express is going in the direction that I have long stated it was going. The timing of when the change would occur was uncertain in the past - but at this point it is undeniable that the trigger has been pulled, and change is coming - just as I illustrated over 2 years ago.

I'll point to the first evidence on this forum that the "change" was imminent, as the posting made by bbsam a few months ago regarding a conversation he overheard regarding a spike in Ground volume due this summer. I tried to get some confirmation from my sources, but they couldn't verify the very specific statistic he gave. Later on, when the news of Express Saver service being eliminated leaked out, everything finally came together.

Then more and more news hit the media regarding the "restructuring" at Express (what they are calling "rightsizing"), and from then it was indisputable.

I don't let the resident shill concern me - his attempts at misdirection and obfuscation are absolutely pathetic at this point.

I also don't have any illusions that the wage employees will organize (what I was trying to "spark" back in late 2009 through mid-2010) - it is too late for that. Fred opened up his pocketbook, made the right payments to the right people and got the legislation and administrative rules that he needed to insure his project couldn't be derailed. At this point, it is more akin to watching a slow motion explosion - there isn't anything, anyone out there can do to stop it at this point. The only thing that can be done is get the word out to those who may be caught in the blast wave, to either get some distance from it before it overtakes them - or to dig real deep as fast as they can to save themselves.
 

MrFedEx

Engorged Member
I think he will.

Fred knows that if he showed up almost anywhere that he'd get a shoe tossed at him at the very least, and maybe a bullet. This is a man that has repeatedly sold us out over the years, yet you still believe. He's about to pull off the biggest sellout ever. What don't you understand? Mr. Smith has bought himself position as plantation master, and we're the ones picking the cotton. Mr. Lincoln is still about 20 years out in the future (if ever) given the legislative power Smith has purchased.
 

Ricochet1a

Well-Known Member
Has this been confirmed? Can we expect an announcement any time soon?

How do you define "confirmed". FedEx will make an announcement when it suits their purposes.

Has Express come out and stated to the wage employees that over half of the existing W700s are to be pulled out of service in the next 18 months and replaced with Sprinters?

You can "confirm" this fact with some checking in the media - and maybe even within FedEx's own press releases. Have you heard this coming from the mouths of your managers through???

Express tells its employees (confirms stuff) when they feel there is a need to do so.

This is actually a small example of the whole topic of reorganization going on within Express. They PLANNED everything out years ago - and are now just starting to roll things out (make announcements). They made announcements regarding the size and composition of their aircraft fleet and delivery fleet (they had to, the investors already knew what was going on) - but from the conference call, it is also easy to tell that they are hiding both the personnel side of the reorganization and the change in service offerings. All to be announced this fall.

Right now, there is no telling when a public announcement will be made regarding the ending of Express Saver service. My sources are telling me sometime between late July and late September at this point (big window...).

One thing is assured, the wage employees will be the LAST to know... That is guaranteed.
 

TUT

Well-Known Member
How do you define "confirmed". FedEx will make an announcement when it suits their purposes.

Or when they can legally state it, being a public company you have to watch how you announce things, they don't want insider trading lawsuits and the like. That is why it looks crappy to the avg Joe, the lawyers tell them when it is safest to say anything and it's usually really late in the plans when you can't hold back anymore.
 

TUT

Well-Known Member
This is actually a small example of the whole topic of reorganization going on within Express. They PLANNED everything out years ago - and are now just starting to roll things out (make announcements). They made announcements regarding the size and composition of their aircraft fleet and delivery fleet (they had to, the investors already knew what was going on) - but from the conference call, it is also easy to tell that they are hiding both the personnel side of the reorganization and the change in service offerings. All to be announced this fall.

Right now, there is no telling when a public announcement will be made regarding the ending of Express Saver service. My sources are telling me sometime between late July and late September at this point (big window...).

One thing is assured, the wage employees will be the LAST to know... That is guaranteed.

The wage employee's will most likely know when the rest of the world is told.

You mention "Investors Already know this" that would be illegal. The long term planning isn't illegal though. In any company like this there are plans, sometimes several, they change as situations change. Was there a grand scheme for Express to not do well on purpose? I doubt it, all it took was a major recession. To me the plans look like very legit business decisions based on customer trends. Yes you could foresee years ago if things didn't improve what you are now alluding to. But if things bounced back hard, then another plan or a revised plan we would be discussing.

Your national sales rep would tell you this about your industry. Ground with strategic warehousing is dominating the landscape for the sole purpose to save your customers money (free shipping to their customers if at all possible). Simple. Does any major carrier want a piece of that pie? You bet. Does any carrier not understand what is going on? No. 1+1.
 

Goldilocks

Well-Known Member
Fred knows that if he showed up almost anywhere that he'd get a shoe tossed at him at the very least, and maybe a bullet. This is a man that has repeatedly sold us out over the years, yet you still believe. He's about to pull off the biggest sellout ever. What don't you understand? Mr. Smith has bought himself position as plantation master, and we're the ones picking the cotton. Mr. Lincoln is still about 20 years out in the future (if ever) given the legislative power Smith has purchased.

Well MrFedex, dont get you feathers all ruffled. I have met FS and he is a very nice guy that truly cares. Dont blame him for bad decissions made by middle management. I wrote Fred about 4 years ago and asked him to my daughters graduation. He sent me a personal letter to my home thanking me for the invitation. Very very nice letter. He is a nice guy who cares. May I respectfully ask how long you have been with Fedex Express? You sound like a person who is very very unhappy with your life. If you feel like there are greener pastures somewhere else then go find it. Or maybe go pick some cotton. Are you wanting someone to wipe your butt too? Well, I doubt FS will do that, but what he will do is provide you with a JOB....Be thankful...Bottom line he will take care of us and he will cut the FAT from this company. I am aware that some things need to be addressed, and hopefully they will.
 

Ricochet1a

Well-Known Member
The wage employee's will most likely know when the rest of the world is told.

Wrong.

Do the Couriers in your station know about the replacement of the W700s with Sprinters? That is considered public knowledge at this point, yet Express has been absolutely "mum" regarding the true scope of the replacement of the W700s to the wage employees. There is a VAST difference between what qualifies as "public knowledge" (as far as the SEC is concerned) and what is "known" among the wage employees of a company. Companies deliberately time the release of information to stay within the letter of the law (as far as the SEC is concerned), while keeping its employees in the dark until the last moment.

You mention "Investors Already know this" that would be illegal.

Wrong. They already know what is going to happen, I already know what is going to happen, people that I correspond with already know what is about to happen. People that I correspond with have already commented on the potential rise in FedEx's stock price and considered making purchases based upon what we know. And the forecasted jump in FedEx stock price in the next couple of years is SIGNIFICANT. For those employees who have a stock purchase plan - stick with it...

There is a fine line between pubic knowledge and "insider" knowledge when it comes to making decisions regarding timing of stock purchases (again, the reason for the investors conference call, to get some information out there to enable decisions to be made to purchase stock and not do it based on "inside" knowledge). All the top execs are looking forward to the value of FedEx stock jumping significantly- since they hold a significant number of shares right now...


The long term planning isn't illegal though.

Correct

In any company like this there are plans, sometimes several, they change as situations change. Was there a grand scheme for Express to not do well on purpose? I doubt it, all it took was a major recession.

There was a "grand scheme" to massively reorganize Express to enable that 10% profit margin they've long wanted. Put frankly, the 2008 election with the Democrats taking the White House AND Congress scared the crap out of FedEx. They thought they would lose their long held RLA status and have to fight off organizing in between one-third and one-half of the stations. The "scheme" was in full motion back then (before the Great Recession was fully realized). What caused them to hold off on pulling the trigger was the uncertainty regarding Ground - there was a slew of lawsuits launched by states Attorneys' General, attacking the use of the independent contractor model. FedEx didn't want to commit its future to the way Ground was organized, only to potentially lose the lawsuits, have the Ground drivers classified as FedEx employees - then subsequently organize within the blink of an eye. Timing was everything.
 

Rhoderunner

Well-Known Member
How do you define "confirmed".
Confirmed perhaps by a few high up 'sources' who's accuracy has been impressive. The 'talk' in my area is still that the portfolio of services is NOT changing. Your sources predicting a announcement within months seem to lean towards the confirmed side.

Has Express come out and stated to the wage employees that over half of the existing W700s are to be pulled out of service in the next 18 months and replaced with Sprinters?

The W700s in our place NEEDED replacing. Most 12-14 years old, 200-350 thousand miles on them. I've read your post as to the other reasons behind this switch, valid eye opening points, but glad to have ANY newer truck to drive right now. I did wonder about the cost of these Sprinters compared to a smaller W700 style replacement. I would think a small step van could be had for under 44 thousand !!!
 

Ricochet1a

Well-Known Member
The W700s in our place NEEDED replacing. Most 12-14 years old, 200-350 thousand miles on them. I've read your post as to the other reasons behind this switch, valid eye opening points, but glad to have ANY newer truck to drive right now. I did wonder about the cost of these Sprinters compared to a smaller W700 style replacement. I would think a small step van could be had for under 44 thousand !!!

The relevant issue with the replacement of W700s with Sprinters is the fact that the Sprinters have only about two-thirds the capacity of the W700s. Express is fully anticipating a DROP in the volume that routes will carry compared to just a few years ago. By purchasing Sprinters on such a large scale, they are also anticipating/planning that the volume WON'T return to previous levels in the future.

Another issue is that the Sprinters get better fuel economy. The W700s get about 8 mpg city (while making all the stops), and about 12 mpg while on the highway. The Sprinters fuel economy is MUCH better.

Finally, the fact that it doesn't take a DOT-Courier to drive a Sprinter means that they can be operated by someone making less that the "standard" Courier.

It all adds up to lower capability/capacity (what Express is calling "rightsizing") and lower operating costs.
 
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