No the RTD's as a group are pissed off right now. But like all the other FedEx employees we have our hands tied. I went to the Teamsters last week, I did not hear the news I wanted to hear. 1. RTD's are in the same work class as the rest of the hourly employees, so we "can't" do this union thing on our own. 2. The teamsters are working on another FedEx unit and we are not a promising priority for them at this time.
Fred picks his battles well, put that carrot in front of you and then slips the knife between your ribs from behind.
By the way how do you post photos on this side from a mac?
I'm glad to hear there are current FedEx employees conferring with IBT representatives. I detailed my experiences last year regarding whether or not the IBT was the only option for Express employees in this forum.
Railroad Labor Act Overview
This is the official DOT overview of what the RLA does/doesn't and basic procedures for employees covered under RLA rules. It gives a good, concise picture of the situation that Express employees are faced with concerning organizing.
"Class and Craft" has been a term of contention ever since the RLA was institued back in the 1920s. The response you received from the IBT wasn't exactly accurate though.
In labor organizing history, "craft" has a very specific definition - those performing a substantially similiar work, who are interchangable with each other in terms of capability and function - one RTD (or Courier) performs like work functions with other RTDs and are essentially interchangable.
"Class" is a bit more broad in definition. For example, aircraft mechanics are included in the same class of employees as those who fuel aircraft, clean them and perform other related tasks - they are grouped under the "ground service personnel" class of employees.
When it comes to labor organizing, the RLA has stated craft OR class - it was left deliberately vague by Congress when the Act was written (leave it to lawyers to "build in" vagueness - it gives future lawyers something to make a living over).
Labor attempts to use the narrower definition of craft, corporations try to use the larger definition of class to make the labor pool larger (more difficult to organize). There is no strict guideline as to which the NLB will use in determining what a work unit is and who is eligible to vote to certify.
Express would definately like to have ALL wage employees included into a single class - it would make organizing even more difficult. However, there are distinctions in work patterns, skill levels and work locations as to make each craft the base bargaining unit for purposes of organizing (Couriers, RTDs, Ramp Agents, Mechanics, etc.). If there ever was a request for an election, Express might be able to lump Couriers in with RTDs, since they each operate a motor vehicle as their primary job function; but lumping Couriers with Ramp Agents would be a stretch.
The IBT is DEFINITELY working on another FedEx opco right now.... Freight. Freight has the best chance of organizing since Fred cannot possibly get it under RLA in his wildest dreams (it is NLRA), and the drivers there are getting pissed off at the antics of FedEx too. If there is any one FedEx opco that has a chance of organizing, it is Freight - and that is where the IBT is focusing their energy.
The Express mechanics receive enough "pays" to keep their overall compensation substantially close to unionized shop norms (not saying they are paid union wages, they are just close enough to keep a majority of mechanics from signing that little card). This keeps them from attempting to petition for a certification election.
The Couriers.... well, I hate to say this, but a substantial majority of them (not all, just a substantial majority) are useful idiots. They are useful to Fred in that they get his volume moved, and they are idiots in that they don't know just how they are getting screwed by FedEx. They aren't going to be the first to certify the union by any stretch.
That leaves the RTDs. They know what is going on, they communicate with other non-FedEx drivers and know what industry norms are regarding compensation. If there is going to be any group of Express employees (other than the pilots) who will have even a remote chance of certifying a union (or just getting an election petition) - it will be the RTDs.
This is why I still believe that the elimination of shift pay was something the FedEx legal department forced on FedEx management - and FedEx screwed up in how they tried to present the change forced on the company by its legal department (they fumbled with their lie). FedEx management knows that this is causing problems and will cook up some form of solution before too long - before they have a full scale riot on their hands. They know that if they piss off the RTDs, that the operation could and would grind to a halt and they'd have a massive PR debacle on their hands.
I delivered 409 packages today, between the hours of 8am and 11:45am. The largest of which were several pieces of unassembled furniture which significantly outweighed me. Luckily I have ant-like strength. I had a few envelopes for one stop, it was a nice break. 
