Post copies of that anti-union crap. Love to see it!
An anonymous source sent me this:
(FEDEX LOGO)
Q & A on FedEx Express and the Railway Labor Act
1. What is the Railway Labor Act (RLA)?
The Railway Labor Act is a law that was originally passed by the U.S. Congress
in 1926 to govern railroad labor negotiations and limit economically crippling
strikes. The law was a direct response to several damaging local strikes that had
bottle-necked railroads, which were the only national transportation system of
that period. As transportation systems evolved. the law expanded to cover airlines
and express carriers, which are the dominant national transportation systems of
today. As an air express carrier with a combined air / ground network, FedEx
Express has been correctly covered under The Railway Labor Act since the
Founding of the company in 1972
2. Why is the RLA necessary?
The purpose of the RLA -- then and now ·— is offer employees a process by
which to unionize if they choose and engage in collective bargaining while also
protecting national (now global) commerce from damaging work Stoppages and
delays. Specifically, the FLA ensures that an entire Transportation system, like
FedEx Express, cannot be shutdown by the actions of a local segment of the
network. Removing FedEx Express from RLA jurisdiction could expose our
customers to the type of service disruptions that the RLA was designed to prevent
- local work stoppages in key areas that interrupt the timely flow of shipments
throughout our global network, Such protection is a vital business need for a
company like FedEx Express because it gives our customers the ability to count
on the reliability of our service.
3. What legislation has been proposed to change FedEx Express' RLA status?
As a direct result of lobbying by UPS and the Teamsters working closely together,
a provision has been added to the House of Representatives version to the FAA
Reauthorization Bill now under review by Congress. That provision aims to
amend the RLA to cover only FAA licensed employees such as pilots, aircraft
maintenance technicians, and aircraft dispatchers. If the provision passes into law,
all other employees at FedEx Express would be covered by the National Labor
Relations Act (NLRA). The provision is not in the Senate version of the hill at
this time.
4. Why are UPS and the Teamsters teaming up an this lobbying campaign?
FedEx Express has long provided superior express service to customers.
Handling air express shipments in a separate, dedicated network at FedEx Express
is a big reason for that. UPS it desperate to close the service gap with FedEx
Express, and the Teamsters are desperate for new dues-paying members to pay for
their sagging pension funds and expensive political agendas. UPS apparently
thinks removing many FedEx Express employees from RLA jurisdiction would
allow them to gain a competitive advantage, possibly by making our express
service less reliable in the eyes of customers. At the same time, the Teamsters,
who represent 250,000 UPS employees, only stand to gain if UPS beats FedEx in
the marketplace. One Point is very clear and something every FedEx Express
employee should understand: anything that UPS and the Teamsters want this
badly cannot be good for FedEx.
5. Why should FedEx Express remain under the jurisdiction of the RLA?
FedEx Express has been correctly covered by the RLA since our First day of
operation in 1972. All Employees at U.S. Airlines have always been covered by the
RLA. FedEx Express remains an airline-centered operation. with out pickup and
delivery network fully integrated with our air network to move Shipments door-to-
door. The RLA Status of FedEx Express has been continually reaffirmed by
courts and federal agencies. In 1996, Congress also reaffirmed that our
employees were: classified properly under the RLA. Every court or agency that
has looked at the issue has ruled that FedEx Express belongs under the RLA.
That is why UPS and Teamsters are now putting so much time money and
effort into changing the RLA itself
6. Are the employees at FedEx Ground and FedEx Freight covered by the RLA?
No. Like UPS, FedEx Ground and FedEx Freight are covered by the National
Labor Relations Act (NLRA) Our integrated air and ground network
differentiates us from FedEx Ground and FedEx Freight. The fact that FedEx
Express is a separate and distinct network for air shipments is what separates us
from UPS.