The time is now

[FedEx2000]

Originally Posted by skirhustler

@ 11 years with the company i maid $93,000 Gross + benefits and pension - $888.00 union dues a year, + 10% Discount on company stock + Tips. Ill let you add that up.

You know it's a great country when someone who can't even pass 6th grade spelling can make almost $100k. You made $93,000....the maid cleans your house.

[TechGrrl]

Originally Posted by FedEx2000

You know it's a great country when someone who can't even pass 6th grade spelling can make almost $100k. You made $93,000....the maid cleans your house.

I think they call that an "ad hominem" argument: can't refute the actual statement, so attack the guy who made it.

Fred is threatening to cancel orders for airplanes he won't be able to use anyway, because he is losing market share steadily. The whole RLA thing is a shiny thing to distract the analysts from the underlying dirt in the earnings call next week.

[FedEx2000]

Call it whatever you want, just pointing out a grammar error as everyone on here is so apt to do. Can't have any fun around here anymore.....

It's not really a loss of market share as it is the economy as a whole. Everyone's volume is down, or has at least shifted more towards deferred products rather than overnight. It's not b/c everyone is jumping ship to UPS or vice versa. It's a cycle that has happened before and will again......just like the natural heating and cooling cycles of the earth. (Or is that Global Warming?)

Of course the earnings won't be pretty, who's are these days? Tough to increase earnings with 1998 volume and 10-11 years worth of inflation and health care costs thrown in. The RLA issue is completely separate and has nothing to do with the earnings statement, but is obviously a big issue. If the analysts don't look past that, they aren't doing their job and that is their fault, not FedEx/Fred's.

[DorkHead]

Originally Posted by FedEx2000

You know it's a great country when someone who can't even pass 6th grade spelling can make almost $100k. You made $93,000....the maid cleans your house.

Yes you are right! But by making $93,000.00 last year he can afford a maid!!

[MrFedEx]

Originally Posted by FedEx2000

Call it whatever you want, just pointing out a grammar error as everyone on here is so apt to do. Can't have any fun around here anymore.....

It's not really a loss of market share as it is the economy as a whole. Everyone's volume is down, or has at least shifted more towards deferred products rather than overnight. It's not b/c everyone is jumping ship to UPS or vice versa. It's a cycle that has happened before and will again......just like the natural heating and cooling cycles of the earth. (Or is that Global Warming?)

Of course the earnings won't be pretty, who's are these days? Tough to increase earnings with 1998 volume and 10-11 years worth of inflation and health care costs thrown in. The RLA issue is completely separate and has nothing to do with the earnings statement, but is obviously a big issue. If the analysts don't look past that, they aren't doing their job and that is their fault, not FedEx/Fred's.

I'm going to point out that Fred didn't keep anywhere near the pace of inflation even when profits were sky-high. Whose fault would that be? He kept up the takeaways when he should have been paying closer attention to keeping his employees happy.

Now, when profits are down, he's going to get slammed because nobody is going to be happy with 2% and bringing back the 401k match. Maybe the analysts need to consider 15 years worth of screwing over the workforce and realize Fred is going to eventually have to pay for his indiscretions.

I know you're management, but come on....Smith and FedEx have gone to the well one too many times and now it's dry. You guys can try and spin the poor economy however you'd like, but I personally believe that FedEx will actually have to move into the red in order to try and buy-back all of the loyalty and good will they've pissed away in recent years.

The UPS people on this site have only the slightest inkling of what's been going on at Express, and how angry most of the workforce is right now.

[MrFedEx]

Originally Posted by DorkHead

Yes you are right! But by making $93,000.00 last year he can afford a maid!!

He "maid" about $43,000 more than the average FedEx courier. That makes him look pretty smart in my book. I'll gladly trade you my two worthless college degrees for an extra 43K.

[FedEx2000]

Originally Posted by DorkHead

Yes you are right! But by making $93,000.00 last year he can afford a maid!!

Well, at least somebody got it. That was more of my point than trying to "attack" them, my fault though for poor choice of wording.

Mr. FedEx--I'm not trying to spin the economy in any way, it's a fact that the economy sucks right now. I know some of the mgrs won't shut up about it, and people get sick of hearing about it, but unfortunately there are many employees that don't read the paper or have any idea what is really going on. It would be very naive of us to operate as if there is nothing wrong and let everyone get 10 hrs of OT a week, if any at all.

You, and others, may feel that your raises have not been up to par, and that is fine. I was a courier for 7-8 yrs and felt that I was paid fairly. I never washed my truck on my day off or worked off the clock, I just enjoyed what I did.

Again, why should FedEx have to pay the same, or about the same, as UPS? It has been pointed out in many threads that UPS is a more profitable company, so why shouldn't they pay more? It's all about the market, supply and demand. If people are willing to work for $13-$24/hr, why increase it? (From the company's perspective, not yours) Why should any company be expected/required to pay the same as a competitor? Their prices would be the same if all else was equal, and who loses? The customer.

If all it takes to get your loyalty back is for Fred to buy it, well that pretty much shows where your motivation lies. I think you have more integrity than that.

[MrFedEx]

Originally Posted by FedEx2000

Well, at least somebody got it. That was more of my point than trying to "attack" them, my fault though for poor choice of wording.

Mr. FedEx--I'm not trying to spin the economy in any way, it's a fact that the economy sucks right now. I know some of the mgrs won't shut up about it, and people get sick of hearing about it, but unfortunately there are many employees that don't read the paper or have any idea what is really going on. It would be very naive of us to operate as if there is nothing wrong and let everyone get 10 hrs of OT a week, if any at all.

You, and others, may feel that your raises have not been up to par, and that is fine. I was a courier for 7-8 yrs and felt that I was paid fairly. I never washed my truck on my day off or worked off the clock, I just enjoyed what I did.

Again, why should FedEx have to pay the same, or about the same, as UPS? It has been pointed out in many threads that UPS is a more profitable company, so why shouldn't they pay more? It's all about the market, supply and demand. If people are willing to work for $13-$24/hr, why increase it? (From the company's perspective, not yours) Why should any company be expected/required to pay the same as a competitor? Their prices would be the same if all else was equal, and who loses? The customer.

If all it takes to get your loyalty back is for Fred to buy it, well that pretty much shows where your motivation lies. I think you have more integrity than that.

Spoken as a true manager. Your error is in assuming that people are willing to work for $13-$24 per hour...most are not, at least not very hard or with any concern for quality. What you get are the C and D team couriers instead of the A and B team couriers. In the long run, turnover and poor performance actually cost FedEx more. Nobody is expecting 10 hours of OT right now, but we are expecting to be paid fairly for what we do, which is essentially the same thing UPS drivers do. Productivity is at an all time high, yet wages have continued to trail behind. Granted, the recession makes paying more difficult, but FedEx has kept wages low even during brisk economic times because they could. Voting-in a union will end the carte blanche era of upper management throwing us peanuts and expecting us to kiss their feet in return.


The customer would actually win if FedEx paid better wages because more competent couriers give better service. They are also more productive, which benefits FedEx through higher efficiency and less turnover and training. It's pretty telling that even in a severe recession, couriers are still choosing to quit FedEx. If it were a halfway decent employer, they'd stay, move farther down the learning curve, and provide the superior service that customer used to get from us. Instead, you get someone who has been a courier for 6 mos that brings back Code 1's, mis-delivers pkgs, and is only about 80% as productive as an experienced courier.

Again, stepping over a dollar to pick-up a penny. Penny-wise and pound foolish...that's FedEx.

[FedEx All the Way!]

Originally Posted by FedEx2000

Well, at least somebody got it. That was more of my point than trying to "attack" them, my fault though for poor choice of wording.

Mr. FedEx--I'm not trying to spin the economy in any way, it's a fact that the economy sucks right now. I know some of the mgrs won't shut up about it, and people get sick of hearing about it, but unfortunately there are many employees that don't read the paper or have any idea what is really going on. It would be very naive of us to operate as if there is nothing wrong and let everyone get 10 hrs of OT a week, if any at all.

You, and others, may feel that your raises have not been up to par, and that is fine. I was a courier for 7-8 yrs and felt that I was paid fairly. I never washed my truck on my day off or worked off the clock, I just enjoyed what I did.

Again, why should FedEx have to pay the same, or about the same, as UPS? It has been pointed out in many threads that UPS is a more profitable company, so why shouldn't they pay more? It's all about the market, supply and demand. If people are willing to work for $13-$24/hr, why increase it? (From the company's perspective, not yours) Why should any company be expected/required to pay the same as a competitor? Their prices would be the same if all else was equal, and who loses? The customer.

If all it takes to get your loyalty back is for Fred to buy it, well that pretty much shows where your motivation lies. I think you have more integrity than that.

Very well said.
Thank you.

[MrFedEx]

Originally Posted by FedEx All the Way!

Very well said.
Thank you.

It's flat wrong, but you bought it...hook,line,and sinker.

[skirhustler]

Originally Posted by FedEx All the Way!

At that point you can hand over your paycheck as well - the teamsters do need to party!

i think for $74 dollars a month for protection not bad.

[UpstateNYUPSer]

Originally Posted by skirhustler

i think for $74 dollars a month for protection not bad.

$89/month here

[scratch]

Originally Posted by skirhustler

i think for $74 dollars a month for protection not bad.

I call it "job insurance", and worth every cent. Hopefully our competitors will finally start standing up to Fred Smith for a change. He has been abusing them since day one anyway he could.

[fredly00]

FedEx is currently going after the teamsters for "making money"
currently FedEx is the only one profiting from its workers... I feel better spreading the wealth...

I'd gladly pay..2.5 times my hourly vs the $~140 I pay for benefits..

lets see 2.5 times my pay rate or 10times my pay rate..

[mungrin]

Originally Posted by fredly00

FedEx is the only one profiting from its workers..

Yeah thats lame and wrong.

[fredly00]

Originally Posted by mungrin

Yeah thats lame and wrong.

You did catch the wink at the end? perhaps /insert sarcasm here/ would be better for you.

[mungrin]

doesnt matter,Fedex is finished

[59 Dano]

Originally Posted by MrFedEx

Spoken as a true manager. Your error is in assuming that people are willing to work for $13-$24 per hour...most are not, at least not very hard or with any concern for quality. What you get are the C and D team couriers instead of the A and B team couriers. In the long run, turnover and poor performance actually cost FedEx more. Nobody is expecting 10 hours of OT right now, but we are expecting to be paid fairly for what we do, which is essentially the same thing UPS drivers do. Productivity is at an all time high, yet wages have continued to trail behind.

It would probably help if --after arguing that all we're getting are the C & D team couriers-- you didn't point out that we achieved RECORD PRODUCTIVITY.

Originally Posted by MrFedEx

The customer would actually win if FedEx paid better wages because more competent couriers give better service. They are also more productive, which benefits FedEx through higher efficiency and less turnover and training.

And that's a GREAT argument that holds up well right up until you implement it in the real world and the law of diminishing returns sets in. There's a limit to what you can accomplish with wage increases.

[MrFedEx]

Originally Posted by 59 Dano

It would probably help if --after arguing that all we're getting are the C & D team couriers-- you didn't point out that we achieved RECORD PRODUCTIVITY.




And that's a GREAT argument that holds up well right up until you implement it in the real world and the law of diminishing returns sets in. There's a limit to what you can accomplish with wage increases.

The more I read your posts, the more I wonder if you're a manager. We've achieved "record productivity" by forcing people to work on their breaks (falsification), collapsing routes, drive like crazies and work like dogs. Have you noticed the increased number of accidents as couriers get pushed harder and harder to increase SPH? Some of these have been very serious.

Where did you get your economics degree? UPS increases wages with every contract and there are no diminishing returns, are there? If FedEx paid decently, you'd keep the excellent employees and have the means to eliminate the poor performers. I have no problem working harder for more money. Just don't expect me to work harder for less.

[Testicular Fortitude]

Originally Posted by fredly00

FedEx is currently going after the teamsters for "making money"
currently FedEx is the only one profiting from its workers... I feel better spreading the wealth...

I'd gladly pay..2.5 times my hourly vs the $~140 I pay for benefits..

lets see 2.5 times my pay rate or 10times my pay rate..

You are also forgetting a very important point.Union dues are tax deductible when you file a itemized tax return,your medical ,dental through Fedex is not.

[FedEx courier]

Originally Posted by Testicular Fortitude

You are also forgetting a very important point.Union dues are tax deductible when you file a itemized tax return,your medical ,dental through Fedex is not.

The UPS driver I talked to also told me they don't pay for their insurance benefits either.

[UpstateNYUPSer]

Originally Posted by Testicular Fortitude

You are also forgetting a very important point.Union dues are tax deductible when you file a itemized tax return,your medical ,dental through Fedex is not.

I thought unreimbursed medical and dental expenses which exceed 2% or your adjusted gross income were deductible.