Unfortunately, this is such a weak argument. Again, as I've said, show me a group of people at any company who don't want to make more money. That's today's economy. I don't have to like it or live with it if I don't want to, but it is what it is. You are absolutely right about one thing; there are people who blindly believe their peers. And it goes both ways. When they are fed incorrect information about how much better they would be with a union, they believe it. They don't do the research and are not informed enough to make an educated decision.You'll have to admit that there are a lot of FedEx people that are "sheeple", and don't stand-up for their rights. Memphis pretty much makes dictates as it pleases, and we're just supposed to go along with it. How do you feel about going backwards every year in terms of your pay relative to the cost of living?
It's not really apples to apples to compare yourself to the pilots. Entry level versus skilled position. I know that there are pilots who feel just as strongly against the union as those that want it, but that is mostly true for any group of employees. I'm not sure I would want the opportunity to negotiate. For me, things are decent. The overall benefits are good. Why roll the dice and take a chance on that. I could very easily end up with $5/hr more in pay and a benefit package that costs me on average $7/hour (just an example, but hopefully you get the point).The one group of employees who have been smart are the pilots. They initially agreed to an in-house union, which they rapidly realized wasn't going to work. Then they joined ALPA, which has done an excellent job of standing-up for their rights. Although upper management tries to play games wth them, the pilots can shut the company down if they don't get a fair deal. Their most recent contract was excellent.....wouldn't you like the opportunity to negotiate a better deal for you and your family? Or are you happy with the meager raises that are metered out every once in awhile that bring us to where we should have been 5 years ago?
If you've got no overtime, you've got no volume. See, here's the thing, with a union, managers have the potential to layoff employees. That'll create your overtime at the expense of other employees. That's a nice thing to do. Current system protects ALL employees by providing at least a minimum of hours.Where I work, overtime has basically been eliminated, which was the one area where you could try and make-up the difference. You say you've been around 20+ years....remember jumpseat, profit-sharing, no mandatory split-shifts? Jeez, at one station I worked at, the management would require 3 hour splits when volumes were down, or try and send you home early after about 4 hours on the clock. And I'm not talking post or pre-holiday periods either. I refused to take splits or go home early and was threatened each time. Since when is it our responsibility to take extra-long breaks just so productivity looks good and FedEx can save money? These are just a few examples of the way management takes full advantage of our inability to fight back. Oh yeah, we have PSP, Open Door, and GFT, all of which are a joke unless you're the member of a protected class. A union would provide a legitimate grievance process. Sure, it wouldn't be perfect, but it would be better than what we have now. And whatever retirement plan was negotiated would be better than what we have now too.
The fact that you bring up jumpseating as a lost benefit shows that you're not fully informed. I don't want to insult your intelligence, but you do know why there's no personal jumpseating, right? You do also know that when FedEx had a golden opportunity to stop it several years prior to 2001, they didn't?
Split-shifts. Again, show me a company that puts employees on the clock when there's no work and we can all go work there. Union in place means that there's a possibility that full-time employees would be layed off.
Have you ever used the GFT process? What makes you think that a Union grievance process would be any more beneficial?
Negotiated retirement plan? Are you listening to yourself? There is zero guarantee that you would have any type of retirement plan, let alone one that is better. You cannot possibly know that it would be better. If you do, then please tell me what the lottery numbers will be for next week.
A lot of my peers have a lot of different feelings. Some don't overspend and can live comfortably on today's paycheck. Some can't live on 55 hours. Doesn't mean a union would or would not benefit either of them. Unfortunately, your example of lesser skilled employees is indicative of the culture at FedEx. Give people a chance, help them succeed. Don't fire them for one mistake. Can't say that would happen with a union, it all depends on what is negotiated.Like I said, if I were younger I'd leave, and I should have seen the writing on the wall. That's on me, but it doesn't mean I'm going to sit back and keep on being abused. Talk to your peers and see how they feel about the direction the company has taken. Cutting costs to the bone isn't always smart, and de-contenting the Express division is starting to bear some bitter fruit. We have freight that misses the plane almost every day because the new breed of employee doesn't have the skills to get the job done or is so overloaded they can't get it done. No wonder we're losing market share to the competition in the overnight market.
As I've said, don't be too sure that a union would be the best thing for FedEx and its employees. I'm sure it would help a lot of employees but I'm equally sure that it wouldn't help a lot of employees. That's why I encourage you to do your research, weigh all the facts, and make an educated decision. I hate to repeat myself more than I already have, but your jumpseat reference just amazes me. Why would you even bring that up? It discredits you and your arguments as it blatantly shows that your grasping at straws to prove your points. People that understand what's at stake will look at that and question what else you are throwing and hoping it sticks.FedEx used to be a quality company that you could be proud to work for. Now it's just a job.
Again, no hard feelings, good discussion. Just do the research and stick to relevant facts. I hope that things work out for you. For me, I'm pretty happy with what I have. I'm proud to work for FedEx and don't think a union is for me.