Look at it this way.... There are 3 entities who presently deliver small packages in the US. FedEx, UPS and USPS.
If UPS strikes the other two will try to absorb their freight. Neither is in very good shape right now and neither has easy access to enough extra lift to move that freight. USPS is a union shop so I don't see them taking on temp employees. FedEx would hire an army of temps but at least on the express side they have made the job so complex it takes months to have one adaquatly trained and up to speed. Like the last strike, they will suspend the money back guarantee. Not many front line employees are going to go all out like last time. I was pulling in 3 to 4 times the freight that was doing prior to the last brown out and working 14 hours plus every day. DOT regulations didn't seem to bother mgmt much when they were making that kind of money. Despite Herculean efforts on the part of the drivers we never came close to absorbing UPS's customers. And btw, those were the customers who were screwed the worst. We were told specifically if they weren't shipping with FedEx prior to the strike, not to take their freight if it would interfere with the freight of our regular customers.
I think for all of Fred's hatred of unions, he has done a lot to strengthen your hand. He thinks the enemy of his enemy is his friend and we fedex drivers help him out by busting our tails when UPS strikes.
IMO, when UPS strikes, that's when we should be slowing down.
If UPS strikes, it will be our last chance to gain some measure of respect from the cretins who run Express. This would be the time to finally grow a set, and just slowdown, stop the belt, or whatever else we need to do to stop the abuse. Remember, these are the same people who want to give you 6 or 7 hours per day, but now want you to work 14 because it suits
their needs and will fill the corporate coffers with cash.
Screw them. If Brown goes out, we need to stage a sickout and get something back from these bastards. Make no mistake...they absolutely are bastards, and they don't give a crap about us. In the new Express paradigm, they will do just fine...we will not. They are already making contingency plans for a possible UPS strike, and anxiously awaiting all of that tasty volume. Don't help them out, because none of the profit will find it's way to you. You'll work 14 hours a day..and get
NOTHING, except some cursory BZ talk on the next
Frontline saying how
we all pulled together" blah, blah, effing blah. They will get bonuses, even if they completely screw it up, because they are the "stars" and we are the janitors.
As long as we do nothing, they will keep right on taking and taking and taking. Hopefully, enough people have had enough and won't cooperate this time.
Screw you, Smith.