MrFedEx
Engorged Member
When we go union, refuse the raise.
Where's The RLA Rage? Backroom Deal?
- Thread starter MrFedEx
- Start date
When we go union, refuse the raise.
I'll take whatever I can get, which I'm pretty certain will be less than you think. But I hope I'm wrong.
MrFedEx
Engorged Member
Head over to Iamfedex.com and tell Fred you're on his team.
I'm beginning to think you are the original Kool-Aid drinker, Jim Jones, reincarnated, LOL!!! Or maybe you are more like George W., you know...If you ain't fer us, you are again us!
Fedex Driver
Banned
You should have stayed at UPS when you had the chance.I wonder if you would still be on this forum,but posting about how bad UPS is instead.I worked for both as well and i do not regret leaving UPS at all.Every job has its good points and bad points.
But you always leave out the part that UPS is a much larger company, much heavier volume, costs per pkg is much less due to them trucking most of their freight. That allows them to pay their drivers more and still have a good profit. FedEx costs per pkg are higher due to flying most of the freight. Yes, they are both delivery companies but how they go about it is vastly different. And FedEx isn't going to change their business model because while UPS is the much bigger company, FedEx is by far the biggest overnight service. This is their niche, which FedEx created, and the company isn't going to give it up to compete head to head with a larger, well established company. It's much more realistic to say if you want more money you are going to get a job at UPS than it is to say FedEx is going to have to give you comparable UPS pay and benefits. It's just not going to happen. Certainly you are intelligent enough to see that, but are so entrenched in your position that you can't admit you are wrong after all your posts saying otherwise.
UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)
Well-Known Member
You'd better be careful telling these tall tales as your nose may grow longer.
The disparity in cost per package between our two companies is not nearly as great as you may think. Yes, we do carry much more volume, but our fixed costs per package, which include wages and benefits, are quite comparable to yours, so the difference in operatings costs are not that great. FedEx Ground is making strong gains and if they could ever get their act together on the service side would give us a run for our money. Express volume is up slightly but down from several years--I don't deliver nearly as much air as I used to. I think this recession has changed the thought process regarding shipping and level of service.
UPS drivers at top rate will be just above $32/hr (plus benefits) by 2013. I would have to guess that there would be a $10/hr difference between our top rates. IMO a fair wage, with comparable benefits, would be $25/hr for FedEx and $30/hr for UPS. Why the difference? We do the same job but the production expectations are not comparable.
It wouldn't surpise me at all to see FedEx Express change it's business model to more closely reflect that of the Ground folks.
Cactus
Just telling it like it is
Yeah, why not? Fedex is great at misclassifying their employees. Might as well include the whole staff.
While their at it Fred could classify the CSA's, dispatch and cargo handlers as "farmers" so he wouldn't have to pay any overtime.
MrFedEx
Engorged Member
These are the classic FedEx talking points regarding why it needs the RLA Exemption in order to "compete" with UPS. Please head directly to the corporate suck-up site (Iamfedex.com),do not pass GO, and do not collect $200.
Well that certainly disproved my points! And UpstateNYUPSer, what tall tale did I tell? The fact is that FedEx costs per pkg are higher, while your volume is much higher. The end result is the profit that is required to be made public is the result of what is leftover after both UPS And FedEx pay for everything. UPS is able to produce the profit they do after paying much more in payroll. Would FedEx have as much, if any profit if they paid their employees as much? And MrFedEx the more you attack me the more I'm going to point this out. If I'm wrong please show me why. People need to know the facts to make informed decisions.
MrFedEx
Engorged Member
You've been flip-flopping like a tuna on the deck of a fishing boat. Which is it for you? Do you want to be Fred's cabin boy or do you want to make more than the pittance he's paying you? I've posted the facts ad nauseum on this site for 2 years. If you need an education, go back and read some previous posts. On one hand, you complain endlessly how you've been taken advantage of, and then you come back and defend your oppressors. Ever heard of Stockholm Syndrome?
I'm being realistic. I think they can pay us better, but don't think they can pay wages and benefits comparable to UPS. For that I'm attacked. If they can, show us how. It's not enough to say they can. Is it true that they try to maximize profit? If the profit they have now is what they have after everything is paid for, how then will they pay for close to $2 billion in additional costs? If they have money in the bank, but only a billion in profit, then they will have to dip into that saved money to meet the union demands. Eventually they'll run out of their money in the bank. Then what?
I'm proposing instead of paying everyone who's worked 3 years $29hr plus great benefits, top people out at 10 years. Give them 50 cent raises annually until they reach 10 years then top them out. Keep the 7 payscales. Top out for the lowest $23hr, top for highest payscale $29hr. Give topped out employees a dollar raise every other year. And as topped out employees retire their higher pay will be offset by lower pay of newhires.
Have a more generous 401k. A more generous pension. Company paid medical for the employee.
You are wanting what took UPS drivers many years and 2 strikes to get. It's too much too fast and will bankrupt the company if they ever gave in, which they won't. I doubt they'll go for my suggestions either. But it at least has a chance of happening. I'm not a suck-up, I WANT BETTER PAY NOW!!! But I don't want to lose my job, or get laid off, or be turned into a part-timer due to their reacting to a union's demands. That's not fear, I'm trying to get from point A to point B. Almost there, but if I have to flip burgers it'll never happen.
MrFedEx
Engorged Member
When I was at UPS it took 20 years of seniority to hold a feeder position. At FedEx, I went straight to CTV's. If I could have afforded to wait it out at UPS, I would have. They liked me, and I liked them, but I had a wife, family, and tuition to pay, and couldn't afford to do it. You're right that every job has it's good and bad points, but Brown is a much better deal. As I've said before, I'm a 7.0 employee, and FedEx has always gotten their money's worth out of me. As much as I don't like it, I get the job done. Just guessing, but you're probably about a 5.5 courier. Keep trying, OK?
MrFedEx
Engorged Member
Albacore or Bluefin? Seriously, FedEx CAN AFFORD TO PAY US BETTER. They are not going to abandon a successful business if we go union. You're certainly welcome to your opinion, but don't you realize you're reacting exactly the way they want you to....with fear and paranoia? THEY need you more than you need them, especially if you're as good a courier as you say you are. Make the SOB's pay you what you are worth, OK?
I don't mean for this to be antagonistic but color me confused. You start your post by saying that UPS didn't work for you because it wasn't a good deal and then go on to say that it is a much better deal. Kind of reminds me of the person who jumps between lines at McDonalds thinking the other line will move quicker but then gets mad because it doesn't.
UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)
Well-Known Member
I am also confused--the difference in pay per hour between a FT seniority PC and Feeder driver at UPS is only $.50 - $.75 depending upon whether you are hauling doubles or triple.
MrFedEx
Engorged Member
I would have still had to do some time throwing boxes before I could even go PC. The advantage of FedEx is that I immediately went full-time in CTV's (our feeders) when hired. Like I said, if I could have afforded to wait, I would have. As a seasonal feeder driver, I quickly learned that feeder was a high-seniority position (at least at my center) and I didn't really want to be a PC driver anyway. At the time, all I wanted to do was drive semis. I'm guessing it would have taken at least 5 years before I could even go PC, also too long to wait based on my finances at the time.
Over the years, I've shifted back and forth between RTD (feeder) and courier several times, and I probably couldn't have done that at Brown. At the old Federal Express, the pay differential was always tolerable and there was enough OT available where I could do almost as well as a UPS driver. Those days are long gone. UPS is a much better deal if you can afford to wait it out. In retrospect, I wish I had done so.
