FedEx mounts big-money push to head off unionization by US workers

[dezguy]

They saved a billion and a half on the latest tax loophole and you say where’s the money gonna come from?

Nice try but I say they need to just suck it up for a change. And I’ll never buy into their poorhouse stories.

Unfortunately, for everyone one of you, there are 5 employees like van who believe it when Fred cries poverty.

 

[vantexan]

They saved a billion and a half on the latest tax loophole and you say where’s the money gonna come from?

Nice try but I say they need to just suck it up for a change. And I’ll never buy into their poorhouse stories.

What are they grossing these days? Awhile back it was close to $60 Billion with almost half going to payroll. They have other fixed expenses too, like fuel. Jet fuel isn't cheap. So they pull out how much in profit? They're going to spend some of that profit on dividends. Some will be spent on acquisitions. Whatever they spend it on there won't be anywhere near enough to give you the kind of pay and benefits you want. A couple billion won't go nearly far enough when you have several hundred thousand employees or however many there are. You want to believe the worst because their poor behavior in the past reinforces that. But math is math. Show me the money.

 

[vantexan]

Unfortunately, for everyone one of you, there are 5 employees like van who believe it when Fred cries poverty.

I wouldn't trust Fred but until you can show me how they can pay that kind of money I'm pretty comfortable with my beliefs.

 

[bacha29]

I wouldn't trust Fred but until you can show me how they can pay that kind of money I'm pretty comfortable with my beliefs.

You're entitled to you own opinions but not your own facts.There is one thing that I can agree with you but from a different perspective. The trouble with air express is that it's a service that is becoming too expensive to operate and too costly to ship on. it will always be around but at a reduced scale of operations and most of the jobs will be part time at fast food wages.

 

[zeev]

Before they acquired RPS, Express was running Ground than called P2 around the country than to avoid the union threat they went to the contractors model. The result is Express is starved for freight while trying to cover the entire country outside major metro areas it’s a huge drain. The internet destroyed the letter business and ground logistics has made overnight delivery possible.

 

[Cactus]

I wouldn't trust Fred but until you can show me how they can pay that kind of money I'm pretty comfortable with my beliefs.

UPS has been doing it for years and yes I'm comfortable with my beliefs too.

Maybe if they could stop spending a ton of money on stupid stuff like golfing events, Nascar racing, the dead-weight that still exists in Memphis, clueless engineers, ROADS, boatloads of cameras to spy on employees etc. Think of how much money THAT would amount to Van.

 

[bacha29]

Before they acquired RPS, Express was running Ground than called P2 around the country than to avoid the union threat they went to the contractors model. The result is Express is starved for freight while trying to cover the entire country outside major metro areas it’s a huge drain. The internet destroyed the letter business and ground logistics has made overnight delivery possible.

Rural delivery in general is money losing business period regardless of the carrier and not likely to get much better perhaps even worse. Population washing out, not a lot of discretionary income, travel ways that are roads in name only and make for very slow going. Explains why Bezos only wants that easy in town stuff but expects the others to haul his jinggy stuff for free.

 

[vantexan]

You're entitled to you own opinions but not your own facts.There is one thing that I can agree with you but from a different perspective. The trouble with air express is that it's a service that is becoming too expensive to operate and too costly to ship on. it will always be around but at a reduced scale of operations and most of the jobs will be part time at fast food wages.

Now think about what you just said. That it is becoming too expensive to operate. It's always been too expensive to operate and generate the kind of profits they want. Exactly why they created Ground and exactly why they can't pay UPS type pay and benefits at Express. The overhead is too high and they just don't have the income after fixed expenses.

 

[vantexan]

UPS has been doing it for years and yes I'm comfortable with my beliefs too.

Maybe if they could stop spending a ton of money on stupid stuff like golfing events, Nascar racing, the dead-weight that still exists in Memphis, clueless engineers, ROADS, boatloads of cameras to spy on employees etc. Think of how much money THAT would amount to Van.

If they're spending close to $30 Billion in payroll, maybe more at this point, and the pay and benefits you want is going to cost many billions more, maybe $20 Billion or more for all I know, do you think they can generate that by getting rid of the above? I know you're angry with the company, I get that, but the fact is how they operate with flying freight is very different than how UPS operates. And now it looks like they're going to trim Express in favor of Ground. But please know this, if it's possible to pay nearly $40 hr and have great healthcare and a great pension on their current model I'm all for it. At the very least I wish they had given us the new pay plan 10+ years ago. Would've made my life a lot easier.

 

[Star B]

well, it also doesn't help that they had to pay to do everything twice, basically.

two sets of warehouses
two sets of belts
two sets of sort employees
two sets of admin employees.

Now, in good times, that may be able to be washed away, but when times get tough..... doesn't work so well.

 

[Cactus]

At the very least I wish they had given us the new pay plan 10+ years ago. Would've made my life a lot easier.

Van, I wouldn’t lose any sleep over that “new pay plan” It was a joke from the git-go. There was the friend-clause in it that said “subject to the company being able to afford it.” This gave Fred a parachute while leaving the employees to crash and burn. All one had to do is take a look at past takeaways and realize they would back out of the deal on a whim and at a moments notice. It’ll never return.

 

[vantexan]

Van, I wouldn’t lose any sleep over that “new pay plan” It was a joke from the git-go. There was the friend-clause in it that said “subject to the company being able to afford it.” This gave Fred a parachute while leaving the employees to crash and burn. All one had to do is take a look at past takeaways and realize they would back out of the deal on a whim and at a moments notice. It’ll never return.

And I did point out I don't trust Fred, been there, done that. But they did have a huge turnover issue and if they don't go back to it soon they'll start bleeding again. Which, if they are looking to reduce Express a bit, may be what they want. In some of the small stations I've worked at if they take away enough freight some people are going to get very angry and leave due to lack of hours. After that shake out the remaining might get enough hours to make a living.

 

[olroadbeech]

I'd rather see Amazon workers unionize. but hope FedEx is successful. .....long road but worth it.

market will continue to explode Amazon's growth and they will have the incentive to be self sufficient very quickly. we were laughing about this just a short few years ago but nobody is laughing now.

 

[olroadbeech]

CURRENT PAY RATE 37.64 TAXES
- REGULAR 37.640 40.00 1,505.60 FICA 140.01 6,031.47
- OVERTIME 56.460 13.33 752.61 FICA MEDICARE 32.75 1,410.59
- FEDERAL TAX 237.91 8,732.93
- CURRENT TOTALS 2,258.21 ST TAX- NC 98.00 4,156.00
- Y-T-D TOTALS 2,440.31 97,281.80 TOTALS 508.67
- DEDUCTIONS
-
- UNIONDUE 23.00 1,078.00
-

last check of year avg 43 hrs wk

I averaged 55 hours a week for the last 15 years I worked there. enabled me to retire 5 years early. was worth it.

 

[bacha29]

Now think about what you just said. That it is becoming too expensive to operate. It's always been too expensive to operate and generate the kind of profits they want. Exactly why they created Ground and exactly why they can't pay UPS type pay and benefits at Express. The overhead is too high and they just don't have the income after fixed expenses.

Think about what you are saying. In one breath you're waaaing about the hosing you got from Fat Freddy while in the very same breath you running to defend him. Now which way is it? Can't have it both ways.

 

[vantexan]

Think about what you are saying. In one breath you're waaaing about the hosing you got from Fat Freddy while in the very same breath you running to defend him. Now which way is it? Can't have it both ways.

Not defending him, just pointing out the obvious. Apparently the obvious is irrelevant to the oblivious.

 

[fedx]

I averaged 55 hours a week for the last 15 years I worked there. enabled me to retire 5 years early. was worth it.

So you were working 11 hours a day, 5 days a week? IDK if I would want to work that much. Retire 5 years early, but die 5 years early due to working your life away.

 

[59 Dano]

Look at how much they already pay in payroll. The profit that's leftover after all expenses won't come close to the kind of pay and benefits that's being talked about here. I realize this is a sacred cow of employees, that the only thing standing between them and really good pay and benefits is corporate greed, and certainly the company does try to squeeze as much as they can out of employees. But the numbers don't add up. The new pay plan is about as good as you can hope for. But FedEx needs to live up to their end of it.

Now you've done it. Some are convinced that the hourlies could have significantly better pay and benefits if the brass would take cuts.

And you've ruined it for them.

 

[59 Dano]

UPS has been doing it for years and yes I'm comfortable with my beliefs too.

Maybe if they could stop spending a ton of money on stupid stuff like golfing events, Nascar racing, the dead-weight that still exists in Memphis, clueless engineers, ROADS, boatloads of cameras to spy on employees etc. Think of how much money THAT would amount to Van.

Imagine how much they'd save if they'd get rid of older couriers who can't run their routes as efficiently as their younger counterparts.

If you're serious about making changes, you get rid of the slowest ones.

 

[Cactus]

Imagine how much they'd save if they'd get rid of older couriers who can't run their routes as efficiently as their younger counterparts.

The older couriers never relied on GPS or the latest and greatest gizmos or the useless ROADS program and they can read an old fashioned paper map whereas the younger ones, well a lot of them haven't a clue.

Too bad they don't put you in charge because if you called the shots there would be the biggest age discrimination lawsuit in the history of America. You'd sink FedEx like a stone Jethro.

If you're serious about making changes, you get rid of the slowest ones.

Not until employees like you who do meaningless jobs that are totally unnecessary are gone first.