When Is G-Day?

[MrFedEx]

With the recent statement that "adjustments" have to be made at Express, when do you think Montgomery Burns Smith will drop the hammer? IMO, they have started the "story", and now they will attempt to flesh it out and justify the move to Ground. Expect a tale of woe and despair, and "disappointment" that hours and careers will be cut short. The reality is that this is a gleeful rush to the bank, based almost solely on the dirt cheap labor Fred has secured with the Ground scam. This is truly the goose that laid the golden egg for Smith.

What gets me is that UPS has just sat on the sidelines and watched this happen. They could have snuffed-out Ground a long time ago, but they didn't. Legally, they seem as flaccid as the Teamsters.

Speaking of flaccid and weak, I'd like to personally thank all of the Purple Suck-ups who have made G-Day possible. Without you bending over and gleefully taking it every time, this never could have happened. Whenever Fred lopped-off a chunk of your benefits or leveled your retirement plan, you sat by like good little poodles and said and did nothing. No outrage, no consequences. Fred knew that you'd just take it without a whimper. That Fool-Aid is powerful stuff, isn't it?

All of those missed dinners, late dates, and cancelled family events while you were fulfilling the Purple Promise were for naught, or do you even get that? You outdid yourself, took split-shifts, and came to work late when the recorder told you to, even though you didn't have to. Nothing but a flock of sheep, and not even regular sheep. You're a special breed of sheep that walk straight into the slaughterhouse with your tails wagging and your eyes bright and shining. You make me sick, and you deserve what you're going to get.

Pathetic, groveling wussies, with balls the size of BB's. All of you.

 

[vantexan]

Oh come on MFE, most people have kids and mortgages and other obligations. They feel they pretty much have to keep their mouth shut. Most people most likely saw the last few years of poor raises and the pension termination as side effects of the bad economy. Most likely most didn't have a clue about the potential for a union or the millions spent keeping it out. If anything many are just now realizing, and too late, that the company has no intention to improve anything and that poor raises are now the norm. Most likely if it's circulating that there's a forum where the company is ripped into and the real facts are discussed, it's probably because of your tireless efforts to get the message out. But give into your frustrations and rip into your audience and you'll soon turn them off and away. Remember it's not the average courier who's at fault for where we're at, it's the company's fault. It's also the fault of the Democrats who sold us out. And for their henchmen, the Teamsters, who looked the other way. Couriers have little choice now but to roll with the punches. Amen.

 

[MrFedEx]

Oh come on MFE, most people have kids and mortgages and other obligations. They feel they pretty much have to keep their mouth shut. Most people most likely saw the last few years of poor raises and the pension termination as side effects of the bad economy. Most likely most didn't have a clue about the potential for a union or the millions spent keeping it out. If anything many are just now realizing, and too late, that the company has no intention to improve anything and that poor raises are now the norm. Most likely if it's circulating that there's a forum where the company is ripped into and the real facts are discussed, it's probably because of your tireless efforts to get the message out. But give into your frustrations and rip into your audience and you'll soon turn them off and away. Remember it's not the average courier who's at fault for where we're at, it's the company's fault. It's also the fault of the Democrats who sold us out. And for their henchmen, the Teamsters, who looked the other way. Couriers have little choice now but to roll with the punches. Amen.

Nope. They kept their mouths shut because they were cowards. Sorry, but the "average courier" who kept plugging away while things got worse is exactly who allowed Fred to accomplish what he's about to pull-off. They didn't speak-up at meetings, they gave "nice" SFA's, and they never questioned the intentions of Mr. Smith and his top execs.

I'm not playing to any audience, and I could care less if they get turned-off and go away. Cheryl and Tony profit from the traffic on this site, not me. I do it because it's the right thing to do...no other reason. Couriers have always had the choice to fight back, even if it had to be under the radar. I agree with you that the Democrats and the IBT haven't been much help, but none of this could have happened without the cooperation of the sheep.

Kool-Aid tastes good, but it costs practically nothing. Now the suckers are going to discover the hidden agenda.

 

[DOWNTRODDEN IN TEXAS]

For the first time in my adult life, I am truly scared. I've put in 15 years with this s&^tbox thinking it was a good idea and could be made better if others would just open their eyes....boy what a flipping screw job.

Guess most of us fulltimers better start getting a new resume together.

 

[vantexan]

If, or when, it's announced that Ground is getting a big chunk of our volume it will be interesting to see how people will react. I've pointed out to coworkers for several years now that this is coming, but if any believed me they soon stopped because it didn't happen overnight. Which begs the question, will it happen overnight? Or will it be a gradual takeaway as our salesmen convince bulk shippers to try Ground? Consider Valentine's Day. Someone had to convince the flower companies to give Ground a chance. Maybe that's what's meant by adjusting Express capacity. Not one fell swoop but a steady flow from Express. They pretty much have to get their shippers on board. But that also means Ground handles everything from pickup to delivery except where distance is too great. The reason I think that is what happened to me in New Mexico. Mgrs putting pkgs in U.S. mail to keep me from getting overtime. The customer isn't getting what they paid for. And if a customer ships an Express pkg and gets Ground delivery he may feel he's been gypped. After all it's been demonstrated here that with current shipping through Ground instead of Express profit margin is much greater. So, IMO, we will see steady erosion of the Express division due to Sales convincing major shippers to switch to Ground. And Express couriers will be boiled alive like the frog who had the heat gradually turned up on him.

 

[MrFedEx]

If, or when, it's announced that Ground is getting a big chunk of our volume it will be interesting to see how people will react. I've pointed out to coworkers for several years now that this is coming, but if any believed me they soon stopped because it didn't happen overnight. Which begs the question, will it happen overnight? Or will it be a gradual takeaway as our salesmen convince bulk shippers to try Ground? Consider Valentine's Day. Someone had to convince the flower companies to give Ground a chance. Maybe that's what's meant by adjusting Express capacity. Not one fell swoop but a steady flow from Express. They pretty much have to get their shippers on board. But that also means Ground handles everything from pickup to delivery except where distance is too great. The reason I think that is what happened to me in New Mexico. Mgrs putting pkgs in U.S. mail to keep me from getting overtime. The customer isn't getting what they paid for. And if a customer ships an Express pkg and gets Ground delivery he may feel he's been gypped. After all it's been demonstrated here that with current shipping through Ground instead of Express profit margin is much greater. So, IMO, we will see steady erosion of the Express division due to Sales convincing major shippers to switch to Ground. And Express couriers will be boiled alive like the frog who had the heat gradually turned up on him.

By the way, I don't count you or most of the others on here as "sheep". You, in particular, have been straightforward, even to the point of revealing your identity. I'm talking about the butt-sniffers who rat out their fellow employees, suck-up to management at every opportunity, and bleed Purple. They still believe in PSP, and will do anything management asks instead of standing up for the few rights they have. They take short lunches off the clock, drive like AJ Foyt, and will do anything not to have a service failure. They continually get abused, and they keep coming back for more. It's like the Stockholm Syndrome, where they fall in "love" with their abuser. I've never understood it, and I especially don't understand it now given what's happening.

It's nice that people are finally waking-up to reality. Unfortunately, it's pretty late in the game.

 

[Ricochet1a]

Oh come on MFE, most people have kids and mortgages and other obligations. They feel they pretty much have to keep their mouth shut. Most people most likely saw the last few years of poor raises and the pension termination as side effects of the bad economy. Most likely most didn't have a clue about the potential for a union or the millions spent keeping it out. If anything many are just now realizing, and too late, that the company has no intention to improve anything and that poor raises are now the norm. Most likely if it's circulating that there's a forum where the company is ripped into and the real facts are discussed, it's probably because of your tireless efforts to get the message out. But give into your frustrations and rip into your audience and you'll soon turn them off and away. Remember it's not the average courier who's at fault for where we're at, it's the company's fault. It's also the fault of the Democrats who sold us out. And for their henchmen, the Teamsters, who looked the other way. Couriers have little choice now but to roll with the punches. Amen.

Everyone has obligations, but if they want to improve their lot in life, they can't be passive and expect someone else to hand them a better life. Freedom is great - part of freedom is taking responsibility for improving ones fortunes with the tools available and not waiting for someone else to do it for them. No one in this world hands out a better standard of living just because they "should" - people have to work together and use the tools available to them to GET a better life. If you want to go through life being passive and being led around by the proverbial collar - then Express would be a good place to call home. I learned real quick that Express wasn't the place I wanted to be - so I busted my butt to get out and am better for it now. It would've been "swell" if the wage employees would've waked up and prevented the downward slide of Express (as a place to make a career) - but that didn't happen and I wasn't going to let my life get sidetracked with the trainwreck Express was becoming.

A few months ago, a UPS employee essentially stated (in response to Express employees "crying" about why the Teamsters aren't being more proactive in helping Express to organized) that Express employees are going to have to do it themselves and when they have met critical mass (signed rep cards), then the Teamsters will step in (lots of paraphrasing there).

Well, he was absolutely right.

Most Express employees have what I'd describe as a form of cognitive dissonance when it comes to FedEx. They despise how they are treated on the job and how they are compensated, but they create "excuses" when it comes to having to deal proactively with the situation (the "bendover" option), since dealing with the situation would cause even more stress for them. They bitch and moan to reduce stress, but if they are confronted with a situation/opportunity of actually having to do something about the situation (leave or organize options), they get even more stressed out and frantically try to either distance themselves from the topic or make even more excuses - or even switch to believing that Express isn't really that bad. They begin to regurgate FedEx talking points, and after awhile, they are caught in a situation of bitching and moaning while drinking the purple KoolAid at the same time. They become a FedEx lifer.

Corporate America has lost all respect for the employees which they employ to create profits for their shareholders. There is plenty of blame to go around as to who is responsible, but in the end, the employees who put up with such antics hold the most blame. The tools to organize are available, but most want the benefits handed to them without expending the effort of going through the process to achieve equitable compensation and work conditions.

So don't try to pass off blame on everything out there excepting the wage employees. Fred is doing what the shareholders want (while he enjoys the perks of being CEO FedEx). The shareholders get a return they expect, executive management has their cushy arrangement and the wage employees keep on plugging away. Meanwhile, their real compensaion is steadily eroded year after year while FedEx uses the monies that should've gone out in compensation to expand their company and "contract" more employees who are compensated even less than the Express employees. If one can't see the cycle by now, they are truly clueless.

Everyone in Express knows what is going on (save a few special education cases) - but they all just keep on plugging away, thinking that maybe... someday... Fred will grow a heart (or a bolt from the blue will hand them union wages without actually having to expend the effort to unionize). Keep dreaming.

Nothing will change because of this (shift pay issue). I was expecting a near riot when the defined benefit pension plan was gutted and replaced by that joke they called a pension plan. A lot of people were pissed off for awhile, but they still did their job without making any effort to even sign a single representation card - even in protest of what happened.

That is why I continue to post here on occasion (a lot in the past couple of weeks) - to help those with a functioning brain to realize that they are in a sinking ship, and they'd best be served getting the hell out before they are dragged under.

If Express ever does decide to pull the trigger on conversion of non-overnight delivery - there will be a lot of passive people with a blank expression on their faces wondering what the hell just happened to them. Those who manage to get out before that day happens will be better off for it.

In the wildly remote chance that 50% of Express employees do decide it is time to organize, then they might be able to prevent the steady erosion of their earnings and planned career prospects - by having a contract which prevents outsourcing of movement of Express volume to start....

I wouldn't bet on that happening - given the past actions of the collective whole (sheep) of Express wage employees.

 

[Mr. 7]

MFE,
You are starting to sound like the little boy that cried wolf.
I don't dis-believe that there will be a change-over but, I'm not gonna bet any money on when or, if it's gonna happen.

 

[Myort]

I don't think there will be a total move over of non overnight volume. You will just see shippers using ground instead of express. FedEx will still offer 2 day and express saver service as long as UPS does. The logistics of transferring it to ground after it reaches destination would be tough. Also, many pieces of non overnight freight move with the overnight freight and end up in pure sorted cans in the hubs. No way to seperate this freight out. I honestly look for FedEx to possibly consolidate stations or even consolidate hubs on the AGFS side.

 

[MrFedEx]

MFE,
You are starting to sound like the little boy that cried wolf.
I don't dis-believe that there will be a change-over but, I'm not gonna bet any money on when or, if it's gonna happen.

I think it's obvious what is happening.

 

[Ricochet1a]

I don't think there will be a total move over of non overnight volume. You will just see shippers using ground instead of express.

Already happening - FedEx sales are pushing customers towards using Ground. The differential in margins between Express and Ground have already been discussed.

FedEx will still offer 2 day and express saver service as long as UPS does.

Of course Express will offer 2 and 3 day service. The question is who will deliver 2nd and 3rd day volume in the future.

The logistics of transferring it to ground after it reaches destination would be tough.

Not so, have the ramps change their PM sort from an Express station specific sort to a Ground terminal specific sort. Take the ULDs from the sort, load them into trailers and transport to the Ground terminals. Have the emptied ULDs transported mid-day from the Ground terminals to Express stations for the evening reload. All quite simple.

Also, many pieces of non overnight freight move with the overnight freight and end up in pure sorted cans in the hubs. No way to seperate this freight out.

Again, quite simple... There would be no absolute prohibition for Express from deliverying non-overnight. The preferred method would be Ground, but if pieces of non-overnight just happened to show up to an Express station, they'd simply deliver it as part of their non Priority Overnight volume (Std. Overnight). If it wasn't feasible in certain geographic locations for non-overnight volume to be shifted over to Ground and still make service, the ramps would forward that volume to Express stations for delivery. It wouldn't be an "absolute" shift, just the overwhelming majority of volume would be shifted.

I honestly look for FedEx to possibly consolidate stations or even consolidate hubs on the AGFS side.

No indication of ramp consolidation... can't really happen, ramps are placed for both geographic reasons and to avoid overwhelming single ramps in the larger metro areas.

There is a definate trend towards consolidating stations though. With the availability of FedEx Offices to accept Express outbound volume, there is no longer the need (as existed 10+ years ago), to have Express stations located in "medium" sized cities to enable over-the-counter sales (this was one of the main reasons why FedEx bought out Kinkos, not for the copying service, but for the ability to accept volume for both Express and Ground with a small footprint shop).

The trend is towards building larger stations, and have FedEx Office take the small volume shippers outbound freight. By the way, FedEx Office pays its employees less than Express pays its CSAs - thus increasing margin on Express product even more.

I did ask a CSA about the ratio of volume they accept now (Express to Ground) compared to just a few years ago. The answer (although anecdotal) was illuminating. They are taking less volume over the counter now than they did a number of years ago - BUT, the ratio of Express to Ground has flipped. Most Express CSAs currently process more Ground volume in a given day than Express volume. They are Express employees, but they are doing more Ground package processing than Express. They still obviously tender Express packages that are hold at locations and from customers bringing in door tags. But the piece count for acceptances of packages has now flipped to a majority of Ground.

Ask your station CSAs, what is their ratio of Express volume accepted over the counter compared to Ground volume?

Find out how much volume is being brought into your station by pickup Couriers from Office stores.

Then compare that to how much the Express CSAs accept each day.

More Express volume is accepted in Office locations (and brought in by Couriers directly to the reload) than is accepted over-the-counter by Express CSAs.

Right there that ought to tell you something about the trend of FedEx "outsourcing" to lower cost alternatives whenever possible.

Fifteen years ago (a "bit" before I was in Express...), who would've thought that customers would've tendered shipments to a non-Express location (quasi-FASC) in such large quantities?

By the way, Office offers packing services in addition to processing payment and placing shipping labels on packages. Express locations don't offer any packing services, only supplies for customers to do it themselves.

And people still wonder where the trend is leading...

 

[vantexan]

But you've pointed out the much greater profit margin generated currently by Ground. If Sales right now is actively promoting using Ground over Express by volume shippers then currently that freight is being handled completely by Ground. There isn't any joint effort to move pkgs currently going on. FedEx has simply grown the Ground system to where they have the capacity to handle much more. It looks like rather than have shippers use our 2 and 3 day they are being convinced to just send it Ground up front. The company gets the higher profit margin it seeks while at the same time Express volume declines and overtime is deleted. All without going through the hoops of using both divisions to move freight. If a shipper has a pkg that can't get there as soon as he wants with Ground he uses Express. It was shocking how few flowers we got Valentine's Day compared to last year. What will be more shocking is if Express loses most of the cellphone business to Ground. That alone would eliminate most of the overtime.

I don't believe it's fair to put the lack of a union squarely on employees' shoulders. Most employees simply aren't aware of their options to organize, just think this is the way it is. Much of the country doesn't have the union tradition of the Northeast or upper Midwest. Their opinion of unions is shaped mostly by what the see on tv regarding industries that are a shell of their former selves due to high labor costs and the resulting moves abroad. Don't get me wrong, we need a union. But FedEx isn't a large factory with thousands of employees at one location. We're hundreds of small locations and since we can't organize station by station the Teamsters haven't tried to educate people about their options. Bottom line in this industry people only know that UPS is unionized, we aren't. People on this forum are hyper-aware of what is needed, most employees aren't. And up until 2008 this was still a pretty good job with a traditional pension. Now older couriers who didn't get a full 25 year pension are aware of just how bad it's looking for them. Mid-range employees who've got 10+ years in are now realizing that the pay progression problems aren't just about the bad economy anymore. Now they're facing a lifetime of poor pay with a poor retirement. You want a union? Most people don't go into a job looking to organize a union. It takes a cumulative effect of years of broken promises. FedEx is doing more with it's current policies to actively promote a union than this forum is, which few know about. It takes time though. Enough 10 and 12 and 14 year employees are realizing the raw deal they're getting compared to topped-out employees. They're the ones who've had to work all that time for much less than their senior coworkers with no end, no payoff in sight. Want a union? Forget fat and happy 47 year olds and get the Teamsters to go after pissed off 36 year olds. The company is ripe for a union takeover but people need to be made aware that they actually have a real option to make their lives better.

 

[DOWNTRODDEN IN TEXAS]

Van's right, the IBT needs to target the mid 30's crowd. I can attest to the fact that up until about 30 yrs old, pensions and retirement savings never crossed my mind. The fact that I started a 401k early on was just because my Dad told me I needed to, otherwise I would be even farther behind.

 

[MrFedEx]

Van's right, the IBT needs to target the mid 30's crowd. I can attest to the fact that up until about 30 yrs old, pensions and retirement savings never crossed my mind. The fact that I started a 401k early on was just because my Dad told me I needed to, otherwise I would be even farther behind.

Yep. Most Express employees are blissfully ignorant of retirement issues. That's one of the reasons that there wasn't total outrage over taking away the Traditional Plan. Most couriers weren't smart enough to think long-term.

 

[CJinx]

If so much freight is actually going to get diverted to the Ground division, maybe the contractors/ISPs could use a few more drivers with commercial driving experience?
Just a thought.

 

[MrFedEx]

If so much freight is actually going to get diverted to the Ground division, maybe the contractors/ISPs could use a few more drivers with commercial driving experience?
Just a thought.

Too expensive. Fred likes to hire the ones that have bad accidents.

 

[bbsam]

Too expensive. Fred likes to hire the ones that have bad accidents.

Interesting. You haven't read an ISP agreement, have you?

 

[Mr. 7]

bb,
Are you hiring more drivers / acquiring more trucks for this supposed July 1 increase?

 

[bbsam]

bb,
Are you hiring more drivers / acquiring more trucks for this supposed July 1 increase?

Not really. I'm being cautious. Since transitioning to ISP last year, I am already staffed to handle it in the short term should there be anything to it. My wife is also an approved driver and while she hasn't driven in a couple years, she could help free up a driver or two if need be.

 

[Ricochet1a]

Regarding the supposed ignorance of Express Couriers regarding the potental to unionize...

Ask Couriers in your stations with more than a year on the job if they know whether or not UPS drivers are unionized - and if so, with what union?

Then ask Couriers in your stations with more than 3 years on the job how their compensation compares to that of a UPS driver.

Most Couriers learn real quick that while Express is non-union (I grant you few know about the pilots), UPS is indeed unionized with the Teamsters.

After a few years on the job, the overwhelming majority of Express Couriers know two things:

1. That their pay progression is non-existant.

2. That their overall compensation compared to UPS drivers is an absolute joke.

You don't need union reps in the parking lot handing out literature to get that bit of information out.

Couriers haven't organized because those at the top of progression are either content or have consumed the KoolAid - and those at the bottom are too damn scared to organize. There are also many at the bottom which view being a Courier as being a temporary job rather than a career (those using the tuition reimbursement) - and don't want to get involved in anything which may jeopardize their going to school and having a part-time job with stable hours and some form of health insurance.

FedEx has obviously set up the distribution of their Courier work force to have these distinct groups (whether you realize it or not) precisely to aid in preventing any organization attempts. There is no solidarity between the college students and the 20+ year Couriers - those who have 20 years in are obviously content (or don't want to rock the boat before they retire) and those going to college aren't going to risk something they view as a temporary job which they'll do for 3 or so years and then quit - just to benefit those they'll "leave behind".

I realized this back in late 2009/early 2010 - that the interests of the various "groups" of Couriers were so differing, that even attempting to get a consensus among them was akin to herding cats - wasn't going to happen.

FedEx has a very good rationale for offering the young part-time Couriers that $3,000 annual reimbursement (which the overwhelming majority of full timers wouldn't use) - it keeps enough young part-timers in the craft to dilute any attempts by those in mid-progression (the prime candidates for organizing) from gathering enough support to persuade the Teamsters from even attempting an organization drive.

The deck is stacked against you if you are an Express Courier, RTD or Ramp Agent. The Express mechanics know better and FedEx pays them competitive wages just to keep them from organizing. The mechanics aren't exactly happy, but they know damn good and well how to fill out a rep card and send it in if they desire.

This is why the "leave, organize or bendover" options are still as valid as they ever were.

I knew before I left AGFS and went into DGO, that my time at Express was going to be limited - I decided to put my time to use in advancing my education and get out (the "leave" option). I still attempted to get the word out regarding the possibility of organizing - in a somewhat futile attempt to get those who did decide to make Express a career to see there was another way.

It was an elective course... Herding Cats 541... The only "class" in my life in which I utterly failed. I did learn a hell of a lot in the process of taking it though.

The IBT (there are NO other union options available for Express employees, there just aren't any and I detailed some of the efforts looking into this question quite sometime ago) isn't going to expend its limited resources on attempting to herd cats. They've been burned before and simply don't have the inclination to assist workers who don't want to help themselves.

The wage employees of Express are going to have to see for themselves that they are getting a raw deal, put aside their petty differences, build some solidarity and organize. That what they need to do, but I don't believe for a moment (after my experience in attempting to build solidarity and get rep cards signed) that they will actually do it. I'd like to be proven wrong on this assumption of mine, but at this point, I'd bet a proverbial fortune against them actually doing it.

Since they won't do it, and the political climate requires them to have a full half of them petition for organization - the best options for an individual Express employee is to either get out of Express - or to look for some mayo to put on that turd sandwich that is being served up each year.

If they choose to remain in Express without doing anything to change the deal they are receiving, then there is absolutely NOTHING that can be done by anyone else to help them. They've got to help themselves (either by leaving or organizing). The sooner they realize this, the better off they will be. This is part of the reason I still spend time posting here, helping those who see the ship is sinking to realize that they don't have much time before they'll be sucked under (the best years of their productive life taken by Express - then handed a part-time job with even worse progression potential).

So don't try to absolve the Couriers of any blame when it comes to organizing. Yes, the deck is stacked against them - but if they were to get the wisdom and guts to put aside their petty differences and start signing rep cards, then they'll be better off for it. Till then, I understand that Sam's Club has those 5 gallon jugs of mayo going real cheap. Better stock up if you decide to stay.