friend- FEDEX

FED UPs

Member
Soooooo Ive only been working at FedEx for approximately 1 very long year now and for most of it Ive been on the off load throwing boxes like a friend* lunatic. I remember the day I applied, I typed in Fedex.com and I applied under FedEx careers. Almost immediately after being hired I realized that I was in for trouble but decided to stick it out and go for the ride just to see if my initial thoughts were valid. I believe there is no such thing as a career job at FedEx anymore and if there is I sure havent seen any at my location. Im hoping to possibly move onto a courier position now that I've got my yr. in, although I have seen many people hired months after me move up or advance to a better position before myself. I believe those guys spent hrs. on there knees in order to do that and thats not how I roll. I've shown up on time every day never late, worked my pm shift and then rolled over to the am shift, never put in for a vacation and worked almost all my days off for the entire yr. without even as much as a thank you. The novelty has quickly worn off and the name FedEx has lost its sheen. I have been hearing horror stories about peak since day 1, well yesterday 12/ 12/11 was supposed to be the busiest day for shipping and I honestly couldnt tell the difference. Im sure it will pick up but yesterday was just an average day for me. When Peak is done with im sure they'll knock my hours back down to rhe minimum and this will be the "Thanks" that I spoke about earlier that Ill get. Ohhh! I take that back there feeding us bologna sandwiches and soup leading up to Chrismas so I suppose they really do care about me!
 

LTFedExer

Well-Known Member
although I have seen many people hired months after me move up or advance to a better position before myself. I believe those guys spent hrs. on there knees in order to do that and thats not how I roll.
Your not going to get anything handed to you. You can suck up, work OT, come in on days off. But, if you don't put in for the positions you want, you won't get it. If the others 'moved up', its because they put in for the positions and you didn't.
never put in for a vacation
If you were hired last December (that would be a year), you would be eligible to take 1/2 a week vacation this fiscal year.
 

FedExer267

Well-Known Member
With all due respect, why waste time there? You've had a year-full. Isn't it time to move on?

That holds true with any position at FedEx especially Ground/ HD.... You should of applied at UPS then you would have a year down and be closer to driver. You make driver at UPS then you would actually have a career and you definatley would get a fair days wage.. That will never happen on the Purple side...
 

FED UPs

Member
Your not going to get anything handed to you. You can suck up, work OT, come in on days off. But, if you don't put in for the positions you want, you won't get it. If the others 'moved up', its because they put in for the positions and you didn't.


It has nothing to do with me not bidding on jobs- positions... At my location you have to have 6 months to bid on a position internally and 1 yr for a position external.
I have seen so far 4 guys with under 6 months on the job get hired and immediately placed on the ramp. They spend about an hr. everyday socializing in the break room with there coffee and snacks. From what I have seen unless you are willing to bend over the table and recieve the purple promise you probably wont have any chance of advancing (at my location).
 

vantexan

Well-Known Member
If you were hired last December (that would be a year), you would be eligible to take 1/2 a week vacation this fiscal year.

Assuming he was hired at the beginning of December he'd have 6 months in by June 1st. That would qualify him for 1 week of vacation.
 

LTFedExer

Well-Known Member
It has nothing to do with me not bidding on jobs- positions... At my location you have to have 6 months to bid on a position internally and 1 yr for a position external.
I have seen so far 4 guys with under 6 months on the job get hired and immediately placed on the ramp.
It's 6 months/1 year everywhere. Actually, it could be longer, up to 2 years. So the 4 guys you're referring to were hired for the ramp, not for one position and then 'moved up' to another position. I understand now.

Assuming he was hired at the beginning of December he'd have 6 months in by June 1st. That would qualify him for 1 week of vacation.
My mistake. Its been so long, I couldn't remember if it was a week after 6 months or a year. You can still accumulate a portion of a week. I was hired in January and used to have 1/2 weeks. So the fact he hasn't taken vacation is because he chose to work and not take it.
 

FED UPs

Member
So the 4 guys you're referring to were hired for the ramp, not for one position and then 'moved up' to another position. I understand now

I was under the impression that every new hire starts on the off-load. At least thats what I was told in the beginning during the sort observation. I was hired along with 2 other guys, the one quit after 3 months while the other off- loaded with me...Well, after about a month of him complaining about his back they trained him to be a tug driver. Now he does everything and thats fantastic. Im not jealous, just confused on how that happened. About 6 months after I was hired they brought in this kid that cant be older than 22 yrs old after about 3 months of doing next to nothing on the off-load they moved him to the slides to scan packages. now hes driving a tug and working topside on occasion.The 2 other guys were friends with a ramp manager and spent a combined total of 1 week on the off-load and were quickly taken away. Since I started almost a fear ago I am the only one thats is still on the off-load and Im Ok with that...Like I said Im just confused due to the fact that whenever I applied I read through the job description and agreed that I could perform the duties that came with the job and I have seen first hand many that cannot, but manage to keep there job and become exempt from basically any type of labor. And if its a woman (sheeesh) forget about it!!! Most (not all) the women that work inside usually have a helper for everything and can usually be found in our breakroom eating snacks they bring in on a daily basis for everyone. But noy everyone has the luxury of taking unaurthorized lunch breaks or smoke breaks. Whenever they get upset/stressed out they either eat or smoke while getting paid for it.I believe I have proved that I am a good worker and that is were I messed up.
 
I was under the impression that every new hire starts on the off-load. At least thats what I was told in the beginning during the sort observation.

It also depends on location needs.

I was hired as a Swing but I was unloading cans for a couple of months until the am offload new hires got hired. Of course this was 1998. You walked in, filled out an application, if the Ops mgr liked what he/she seen, interviewed on the spot with other managers, did a DMV/Drug/Physical. Got a phone call usually less than in a week, filled out more paperwork, signed an acceptance letter, dug out a few used uniforms, and got started on OTJ the next day. At least that is how the process went for me.
 

STL

New Member
Sorry but I felt the compelling urge to respond to the original poster. I am thirty years old (recently), from a blue-collar background, and have done many, many jobs in my 14 working years. I started on a farm and went from there. I have worked at fast food chains, grocery stores, I had a paper route when I was very young; I have also worked at mall department stores, for the Census Bureau in 2000, for major home improvement retailers, furniture delivery companies, small company door-to-door sales, moving companies etc. There are more that don't need mention. I would estimate I've had at least 20 jobs in my short lifetime. When I was younger I would move on from a job as soon as I got tired of it or realized that it was BS. Then the economy changed and I held onto my more recent jobs a little longer. I got an education - from a respected four-year Catholic University - with hopes of being a teacher. I got into trouble (while in college and supporting myself as a 24 year old adult) and my hopes of teaching were dashed. I currently work for FedEx Ground as a courier and the pay is okay (best I've ever had but not exceptional or anywhere near the UPS counterparts) and of course, I will move on when I can find a better opportunity or get certification to teach. If I can tell you anything from my experience it's this...

1: It's not what you know but who you know
2: Personality, perspective and attitude are your allies (fake it if you have to)
3: Working hard guarantees nothing; you must have the correct attitude, work IQ and demeanor as well
4: In 2011 and beyond, loyalty to an employer is not expected or appreciated - be a mercenary (always look to upgrade)
5: If you're not getting an education (and w/ a better plan and personal life than I had), make sure you're working at an establishment where people like yourself are eligible for advancement
6: Most importantly for you FedEx is not like UPS (as you know) for advancing the package handlers. Most of the package handlers at my hub - and many of them are decent workers - are viewed by most of management as lost causes from the "city" who can be worked like mules for low pay. That is the name of the game. If you want to work hard and make a reasonable coin off it - go work elsewhere.
 
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