MrFedEx
Engorged Member
I agree wholeheartedly. If the couriers can at least gain traction and show some solid measure of support - especially in the face of FedEx continuing their onslaught against the FedEx courier - then we should be supporting them. Organizing under the RLA will be immensely difficult, but if the couriers can begin grassroots level organizing and gain some momentum while using social media and/or a central and independent website (as R1a has suggested in other posts) then maybe they can get something going.
It would be a privilege to lend them a hand if they can take that first step.
During the last UPS strike, I parked my CTV (feeder), went on lunch, grabbed a sign, and walked the picket line with my UPS brothers and sisters. Was FedEx pissed? You bet they were. We have a lot in common, and I felt the need to show my support.
Here's the deal. UPS would be much stronger with a unionized FedEx. Fred S is stealing major market share away from UPS with his FedEx Ground scam and has enjoyed a big advantage in the NDA market with the RLA at Express. In short, he is able to both undercut UPS and pay FedEx employees a pittance in comparison to UPS.
Together, UPS and FedEx employees would be a formidable force. We either take a stand now against the Fred S's of the world, or stand idly by while Ground undercuts the strength of the Teamsters and weakens your negotiating position. A unionized FedEx Express would help thwart Smith's future expansion and start costing him some serious cash, money he is using to try and capture UPS business.
It is in your best interest to organize as many of the FedEx opcos as possible. FedEx Freight is a real possibility, as they also realize how they've been getting hosed by Smith. In an era where union membership has fallen to the lowest levels since 1932 and unions are being attacked constantly by the Right Wing, it's high time that the trend be reversed.