If they want to let a employee go to then be just about it and make the cut backs but don't trump up an excuse to fire someone in an effort of getting out of unemployment payouts. Any company that practices these beliefs is corrupt, no other way to put it.
Another one of the misconceptions held out there by the Couriers - that their employer will be or somehow should be 'above board' with their motives and actions and deal with its employees accordingly. Express is no longer one of those employers - you'd better recognize that and adjust accordingly. (Bend over or get out...)
EVERYTHING about Express in the past 10 years is to the contrary of being 'above board'. Use of deception, fear, intimidation in order to get what THEY want as a company and screw the wage employees to the greatest degree possible while claiming, "We'll defend ourself vigorously", should a particular employee fight back. The odds are in THEIR favor. They successfully screw over Lord knows how many before they have to deal with someone who fights back. This all cries for a class action suit - but Express has been VERY careful about just how far they will push to get what they want.
Express is slowly reshaping itself right now. You are all seeing it in motion and are getting uncomfortable with what is going on. They want to get rid of the higher compensated wage employees (who also tend to have higher utilization of heath insurance) and replace them with young 20 somethings that are paid bottom wage (which will only diminish in real terms should they stay with Express any length of time). They want to transform Express into Ground, and realize that in order to do that, they will have to reshape its wage workforce, since they know that their current wage workforce will NEVER accept being compensated as one of the misclassified Ground 'employees' currently is. So the plan to gradually reshape Express is well underway.
Fred was much too crafty to come out and state in front of his employees a few years ago where he wanted Express to be in 5-10 years time (many thought that he'd have to do this - we were wrong on that). He knew damn well that if he did so, the Express employees would shut him down and REALLY cause him problems. So he's run it SLOW..... He knows the end goal, but in order to keep things running until he reaches that goal, he has to use a variety of unsavory means to deceive those doing the work for him until they realize it is too late; or ended up realizing that things are changing and get out (to be replaced with those with no real expectation of having a career - only a job for a few years).
Your employer does the bare minimum to stay in compliance with the letter of the law - but treating its employees 'fairly' isn't necessarily part of the letter of the law. This is what constantly amazes me about Express' wage employees - they lament on how they are being treated, but then won't do a damn thing about it - EVEN to the point of having their life turned completely upside down. All to hold a job delivering packages....
Your employer IS screwing you over - no other way to put it. So now the onus is on YOU as a wage employee, WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT IT????
Your employer has made it VERY CLEAR that it has absolutely NO obligation towards you whatsoever. You are employment at will, with a 'portable pension plan', if you don't like things, hit the door and they'll call up the next batch of recruits to replace you.
Then when they realize the mistake they made, the process will continue, and on and on and on...
Complaining about it won't do a damn thing - lots of that been going on here for years. Things just keep on getting worse for you and the complaining seems to get worse too.... The one option was to organize yourselves and put up an united front to protect yourself from the manipulations of your employer. This obviously isn't going to happen (again, if it was going to happen, it would've happened already). That leaves you with either 'taking it', or getting the hell out. I'd advise on making an exit strategy and following it when able.
I couldn't imagine if I was still in, having Express eat me up with stress - even if I decided to sell my soul to Fred and go to work for him in Memphis. There are other things out there to do, you may have to take a temporary cut in pay, but eventually, you'll be better off. The only person you are 'screwing' by staying with Express at this point is yourself - your coworkers (and you...) aren't going to put forth the effort needed to realistically organize, so what's the reason for not making an exit plan at this stage???
