What Will They Take Next?

[MrFedEx]

If you're a long-term FedEx employee you have experienced an unprecedented number of takeaways during your career. I personally think the PPP is next, but what else is really left? If you've been around a very long time, you've had even more removed from your plate. Anyone remember when we got 2 Profit Sharing checks per year, or the Family Briefings?

IMO, insurance coverage is also on the table. There are a lot of couriers I know who simply won't go to the doctor or dentist because they cannot afford it. Fred seems to think that he can get Express couriers to work for Ground wages, because as we all know, Express employees are extremely overpaid, so why not offer Express employees the same deal. Work for nothing...or leave. He's already jacked-up deductibles and premiums into the stratosphere, and why not just eliminate benefits entirely if you can get someone to work for $14 per hour. A lot of our other "benefits" are already useless to most employees. Tuition Refund immediately comes to mind because they have made it so restrictive that it is unusable for many.

Our vision plan is a joke, and so bad that the vast majority of providers won't even accept it. What does that tell you? Actually, our available providers grow smaller every year for medical and dental as well because many providers don't want to deal with Aetna or CIGNA. How many of you get statements with the "over customary and prevalent charges" BS on the bill. Translation: FedEx is too cheap to pay the going rate, so you make -up the difference and FedEx tries to extort a lower "discounted" rate from the provider. Remember, FedEx is self-insured, so every penny they get from you OR a provider goes straght into Fred's pocket.

The net effect of all of this is lowering your true compensation. All of these extra costs make your wage go away a lot more quickly every week. Thanks again, Fred.

 

[Glorifiedpackmule]

If you're a long-term FedEx employee you have experienced an unprecedented number of takeaways during your career. I personally think the PPP is next, but what else is really left? If you've been around a very long time, you've had even more removed from your plate. Anyone remember when we got 2 Profit Sharing checks per year, or the Family Briefings?

IMO, insurance coverage is also on the table. There are a lot of couriers I know who simply won't go to the doctor or dentist because they cannot afford it. Fred seems to think that he can get Express couriers to work for Ground wages, because as we all know, Express employees are extremely overpaid, so why not offer Express employees the same deal. Work for nothing...or leave. He's already jacked-up deductibles and premiums into the stratosphere, and why not just eliminate benefits entirely if you can get someone to work for $14 per hour. A lot of our other "benefits" are already useless to most employees. Tuition Refund immediately comes to mind because they have made it so restrictive that it is unusable for many.

Our vision plan is a joke, and so bad that the vast majority of providers won't even accept it. What does that tell you? Actually, our available providers grow smaller every year for medical and dental as well because many providers don't want to deal with Aetna or CIGNA. How many of you get statements with the "over customary and prevalent charges" BS on the bill. Translation: FedEx is too cheap to pay the going rate, so you make -up the difference and FedEx tries to extort a lower "discounted" rate from the provider. Remember, FedEx is self-insured, so every penny they get from you OR a provider goes straght into Fred's pocket.

The net effect of all of this is lowering your true compensation. All of these extra costs make your wage go away a lot more quickly every week. Thanks again, Fred.

All I'm going to tell anyone out there reading this is.. Take very good care of your teeth. The new dental plan is trash.

 

[Operational needs]

FedEx changed the policy a few years ago saying that if you have an active warning letter in your file that you can now be allowed to apply for a transfer. What they didn't tell us is that if your letter is for a safety violation, attendance and punctuality, or for a performance issue that that can prevent you from getting a transfer. Huh?! Aren't almost all letters for these issues!? It's up to the hiring manager whether they want to take you or not. More grey area. I love how my company acts like they are doing us a big favor but aren't giving us jack! Grrrr!

 

[thedownhillEXPRESS]

Don't forget about semi annual raises.
They have taken away so many benefits it is appalling, our profits are alot larger compared to what they were then, it's just extreme greed has taken over.

 

[MrFedEx]

FedEx changed the policy a few years ago saying that if you have an active warning letter in your file that you can now be allowed to apply for a transfer. What they didn't tell us is that if your letter is for a safety violation, attendance and punctuality, or for a performance issue that that can prevent you from getting a transfer. Huh?! Aren't almost all letters for these issues!? It's up to the hiring manager whether they want to take you or not. More grey area. I love how my company acts like they are doing us a big favor but aren't giving us jack! Grrrr!

Yep. The warning letter deal was one of those "manager discretion" policies, where it was a total gray area as to where it could go. If the manager liked you, things could go well, but if not...uh oh.

FedEx likes to leave lots of things open to interpretation, mainly to leave themselves an out legally. The insurance plans, however, are concrete, and if they are not going to pay, you don't have much of an alternative but to pay yourself or go untreated. They act like they're doing us a favor just to have any coverage at all.

Oh, and I meant to say Anthem and CIGNA earlier, not Aetna and CIGNA. Makes no difference really...they're all crap.

 

[hypo hanna]

All I'm going to tell anyone out there reading this is.. Take very good care of your teeth. The new dental plan is trash.

The old plan wasn't much to write home about. My dentist has a lot of patients who drive for UPS. The gal at the front desk has let me know several times that our plan was t half as good as theirs. That was our old plan!

 

[MrFedEx]

The old plan wasn't much to write home about. My dentist has a lot of patients who drive for UPS. The gal at the front desk has let me know several times that our plan was t half as good as theirs. That was our old plan!

Yep. MetLife wasn't very good, and CIGNA is far worse.

 

[SmithBarney]

Cigna is horrible, everytime my SO makes an appointment for a check up(has to have regular recurring check ups) Cigna calls and requests we change to another doctors office because "it's cheaper" Unfortunately the doctor we go to is the BEST in the field, so there is no other option.
yet every time it comes around the phone rings from cigna.. over $4000 a year I think we should have a little more choice to keep ourselves healthy.

As for the Dentist, and nearly every other doctor, most of them balk when they see our deductible(or co-pay) they say "its not the highest, but it's up there" so WTF are we paying for?

 

[Mr. 7]

The only thing we can do is constantly complain about this to upper mgmt.
I.E. your district director is in walking the belt, EVERYONE should ask about the new healthcare plan.
I wonder what district level employees healthcare coverage is like?

 

[serenity now]

your very soul, perhaps?

 

[Route 66]

I definitely see the unused sick day payout going bye-bye real soon.
I'll just start staying home on those days when I'm not feeling so spiffy, but still would have normally shown up and plugged away in the past. After all, I'm going to have to start taking care of myself now that I can't afford to go to the doc.

 

[MAKAVELI]

I definitely see the unused sick day payout going bye-bye real soon.
I'll just start staying home on those days when I'm not feeling so spiffy, but still would have normally shown up and plugged away in the past. After all, I'm going to have to start taking care of myself now that I can't afford to go to the doc.

You will see just about every courier use up their sick leave since there would be no incentive. It wouldn't be in their best interest to end the payout.

 

[overflowed]

You will see just about every courier use up their sick leave since there would be no incentive. It wouldn't be in their best interest to end the payout.

+1

 

[Route 66]

I think they're just slimey enough to figure a way.

 

[whenIgetthere]

You will see just about every courier use up their sick leave since there would be no incentive. It wouldn't be in their best interest to end the payout.

+2

 

[vantexan]

You will see just about every courier use up their sick leave since there would be no incentive. It wouldn't be in their best interest to end the payout.

Shortly before leaving my last station they started requiring a doctor's note for any sick days. If you were home with the flu, and could barely stand up, they were actually requiring that you go see a doctor for a note. That would be one way they could eliminate the bonus. Threaten our jobs if we call in and make it expensive to do so. Of course when a sick courier drags himself to work and gets in a serious accident it'll blow up in their faces.

 

[Operational needs]

+3

 

[MAKAVELI]

You will see just about every courier use up their sick leave since there would be no incentive. It wouldn't be in their best interest to end the payout.

Shortly before leaving my last station they started requiring a doctor's note for any sick days. If you were home with the flu, and could barely stand up, they were actually requiring that you go see a doctor for a note. That would be one way they could eliminate the bonus. Threaten our jobs if we call in and make it expensive to do so. Of course when a sick courier drags himself to work and gets in a serious accident it'll blow up in their faces.

I would say sure , as soon as you pay my copay, I'll go to the doctor. Most doctors will give you a note if asked. You could forge one if needed as well, since it is a violation of privacy for them to contact your doctor and ask for medical information.

 

[SmithBarney]

Shortly before leaving my last station they started requiring a doctor's note for any sick days. If you were home with the flu, and could barely stand up, they were actually requiring that you go see a doctor for a note. That would be one way they could eliminate the bonus. Threaten our jobs if we call in and make it expensive to do so. Of course when a sick courier drags himself to work and gets in a serious accident it'll blow up in their faces.

Like someone else said, call and make an appointment, chances are your doctor won't be able to see you the same day, some times even
not for about a week.
let your manager know if he'd still like a note you'll get one, but you'll have to take that day off to get to the doctor.

Anyway if they ask you, they have to ask everyone in order to keep it legal, they cannot just only ask Joe Blow each time, it must
be a blanket policy for all employees, otherwise it is considered harassment.

 

[vantexan]

Like someone else said, call and make an appointment, chances are your doctor won't be able to see you the same day, some times even
not for about a week.
let your manager know if he'd still like a note you'll get one, but you'll have to take that day off to get to the doctor.

Anyway if they ask you, they have to ask everyone in order to keep it legal, they cannot just only ask Joe Blow each time, it must
be a blanket policy for all employees, otherwise it is considered harassment.

It was definitely for everyone, told us in a meeting. When I first got to that station I called in and was told I needed a doctor's note. It was early in the year, paid what was then a $100 deductible at the local ER as I hadn't gotten a local doctor yet.