Fred is Hedging His Bet

[MrFedEx]

There have sure been a lot of BBQ's, "courier appreciation cakes" and such lately, huh? Ever wonder why that is? My guess is that Fred isn't so sure that his Republican pocket poodles are going to come through for him on preventing changes to the RLA, so he's trying to make you think that "FedEx cares' by filling your tummy with goodies. Don't go for it. It's just another cheap attempt to make you think FedEx is a decent employer. Congress is coming back into session, and the RLA controversy will be back on the front burner as soon as the FAA runs out of money.

These are "throwaways" for FedEx because they cost next to nothing to the company. Fred and MT3 apparently think that we're just dumb enough to think that the beatings are going to stop by doling-out a little free food. They won't, and if FedEx and Delta get the changes over-ruled, the bat and chains are coming out of the closet.


Yes, good old Fred knows that many of us have more than had it with his games, and would happily sign union cards. All the management "strike teams" in the world aren't going to prevent a massive move towards unionization at Express given the crap pay and working conditions if the RLA voting rules get changed.

So, Fred is going to feed you full of as many Costco hot dogs as you want in order to save 20-year topouts and below market wages. Please don't be stupid enough to believe that anything is really changing at FedEx. It will absolutely, postively be more of the exact same fecal matter we've been enduring for years. Guaranteed.

 

[Mr. 7]

Amen brotha'
I don't have any blinders on.
I see what's coming and it's me signing a union card.

 

[bbsam]

Somebody's had enough to drink!

 

[Cactus]

Somebody's had enough to drink!

Uh, get lost.

We're talking about the real FedEx here not psuedoFedEx.

Fred must think we're idiots and that's been his philosophy since FedEx got off the ground.

It'll be interesting to see what happens if congress can somehow get their act together and not request extention #246 of the FAA bill with all the footdragging and BSing that's been going on the last 4 years.

In the meanwhile Fred, I'll take some fresh Maine lobster to go along with that steak dinner while me and my cronies sit and talk about the pros and cons of signing those union cards.

 

[bbsam]

Uh, get lost.

We're talking about the real FedEx here not psuedoFedEx.

Fred must think we're idiots and that's been his philosophy since FedEx got off the ground.

It'll be interesting to see what happens if congress can somehow get their act together and not request extention #246 of the FAA bill with all the footdragging and BSing that's been going on the last 4 years.

In the meanwhile Fred, I'll take some fresh Maine lobster to go along with that steak dinner while me and my cronies sit and talk about the pros and cons of signing those union cards.

 

[bbsam]

Up to speed short bus. It was a reference to his avatar.

 

[vantexan]

It'll be interesting to see what happens if congress can somehow get their act together and not request extention #246 of the FAA bill with all the footdragging and BSing that's been going on the last 4...

Never going to happen with Republicans controlling the House. And it didn't happen with Democrats in control of Congress and the White House. And the money that was spread around happened when the Dems had control. What does that tell you about them. Unless FedEx couriers start pouring gas on themselves and lighting the match while standing on the Capitol steps no one is going to take up our cause. The only thing that'll make a difference is that they lose too many employees and have to improve things. Meanwhile let's hope that they intend to improve things next March. Until they announce exactly what they intend to do we won't know what's going to happen.

 

[Cactus]

Never going to happen with Republicans controlling the House. And it didn't happen with Democrats in control of Congress and the White House. And the money that was spread around happened when the Dems had control. What does that tell you about them. Unless FedEx couriers start pouring gas on themselves and lighting the match while standing on the Capitol steps no one is going to take up our cause. The only thing that'll make a difference is that they lose too many employees and have to improve things. Meanwhile let's hope that they intend to improve things next March. Until they announce exactly what they intend to do we won't know what's going to happen.

Improve things?

Highly unlikey especially if the scenario you described is accurarate.

I can see FedEx losing all the good stable of talent someday (and in the not-too-distant future) to where it becomes just a revolving door of flunkies who only stay a few months each. But what does Fred and MT3 care? They certainly aren't looking out for their customers with all the shoddy service they've given them these years and with the attitude that they'll never notice. Well guess what? If we lose enough customers Fred won't have to worry about pleasing Wall Street anymore.

 

[vantexan]

Improve things?Highly unlikey especially if the scenario you described is accurarate. I can see FedEx losing all the good stable of talent someday (and in the not-too-distant future) to where it becomes just a revolving door of flunkies who only stay a few months each. But what does Fred and MT3 care? They certainly aren't looking out for their customers with all the shoddy service they've given them these years and with the attitude that they'll never notice. Well guess what? If we lose enough customers Fred won't have to worry about pleasing Wall Street anymore.

Where else can the public go? They have 2 choices. If UPS beat us in a customer satisfaction survey it was most likely due to Ground. But if you need a pkg delivered early the next day who do you trust? It costs the company alot to be constantly hiring people. Word gets around and sooner or later there won't be enough willing to do the job for what is being offered. Of course they won't offer UPS pay and benefits but they know they must improve our pay to maintain a respected company. And they should have figured by now that they've gone too far. I gave up on it being a great company to work for a long time ago. At this point just hoping to finally see something better. And unless we're under nuclear attack I really don't want to hear excuses next year about the economy prohibiting giving decent raises. They say they have a new pay plan, let's see it. But until then I'm trying to give them this one chance. A new review system and a new pay system so far is the only "Big News" I've seen. And it came from them, not our prognosticators who've been claiming a Ground takeover for years now. If they don't come through then scream your heads off. But give them a chance to tell us whether we actually have something to work for, which they said they'll be giving us details soon.

 

[MrFedEx]

Where else can the public go? They have 2 choices. If UPS beat us in a customer satisfaction survey it was most likely due to Ground. But if you need a pkg delivered early the next day who do you trust? It costs the company alot to be constantly hiring people. Word gets around and sooner or later there won't be enough willing to do the job for what is being offered. Of course they won't offer UPS pay and benefits but they know they must improve our pay to maintain a respected company. And they should have figured by now that they've gone too far. I gave up on it being a great company to work for a long time ago. At this point just hoping to finally see something better. And unless we're under nuclear attack I really don't want to hear excuses next year about the economy prohibiting giving decent raises. They say they have a new pay plan, let's see it. But until then I'm trying to give them this one chance. A new review system and a new pay system so far is the only "Big News" I've seen. And it came from them, not our prognosticators who've been claiming a Ground takeover for years now. If they don't come through then scream your heads off. But give them a chance to tell us whether we actually have something to work for, which they said they'll be giving us details soon.

Consider the way Fred thinks, and also consider the cost savings to FedEx of having the tattooed box monkeys deliver E2 and XS. Yes, service will suck compared to Express, but they have been investing a lot into improving Ground, and they are gaining ground (pun intended). It's already being implemented, but they are only going to raise the temperature a few degrees at a time. When you reach 212 friend, please let me know. Oh, and can anyone tell me where all of those Ground trailers set-up for containers went? I suppose it was just a whim for Fred to buy those and then just let them rust away somewhere. They were bought for a reason, and that reason is to transport E2 and XS from the ramp to the Ground sort facility.

As soon as he thinks he can get away with it, it's a done deal. He's already putting the technology in-place for it.

 

[Cactus]

Where else can the public go? They have 2 choices. If UPS beat us in a customer satisfaction survey it was most likely due to Ground. But if you need a pkg delivered early the next day who do you trust? It costs the company alot to be constantly hiring people. Word gets around and sooner or later there won't be enough willing to do the job for what is being offered. Of course they won't offer UPS pay and benefits but they know they must improve our pay to maintain a respected company. And they should have figured by now that they've gone too far. I gave up on it being a great company to work for a long time ago. At this point just hoping to finally see something better. And unless we're under nuclear attack I really don't want to hear excuses next year about the economy prohibiting giving decent raises. They say they have a new pay plan, let's see it. But until then I'm trying to give them this one chance. A new review system and a new pay system so far is the only "Big News" I've seen. And it came from them, not our prognosticators who've been claiming a Ground takeover for years now. If they don't come through then scream your heads off. But give them a chance to tell us whether we actually have something to work for, which they said they'll be giving us details soon.

We've all been giving Fred numerous chances for years for "something better" but it always is something designed to screw us and/or take something away.

You can be optomistic about this if you want Van and that's fine by me but I won't be surprised to see the the carrot further away by the time it's all said and done.

 

[HomeDelivery]

i was actually looking forward to the end-of-summer BBQ fest for pseudo-FedEx,(Home Delivery) since it's been an accident-free session for this summer's delivery period... but someone at management forgot to bring the food & will now have it next weekend (i only work FT during the summers and sometimes PEAK)

 

[vantexan]

We've all been giving Fred numerous chances for years for "something better" but it always is something designed to screw us and/or take something away. You can be optomistic about this if you want Van and that's fine by me but I won't be surprised to see the the carrot further away by the time it's all said and done.

View attachment 5721

Nice art! My life in a nutshell.

 

[Billy_Baconhead]

We haven't seen a cook out in months! No cool-aide either! I'm expecting one right around the corner considering all of us full timers have been mandated since March. I'm not too worried we do get a bag lunch for peak!

 

[DOWNTRODDEN IN TEXAS]

We're supposed to get sno-cones tomorrow, which is convenient since one of the senior couriers "just happens" to own a sno-cone stand/trailer. It used to be one of our swings, but he moved to a different station.

I can't wait, hopefully I'll get one of those since I never seem to get the Gatorades or anything else....hope they have Tiger Blood...lol

 

[Ricochet1a]

In regards to Express keeping its "service" orientation/reputation going, FedEx isn't worried about it.

Right now, there is a "race to the bottom" - provide the minimal service for a price the customer is willing to pay which allows the greatest profit margin.

Everyone knows what has happened to airline service in the past 10 years, service has progressively gotten worse, and things which used to be included as part of a ticket purchase are now additional fees. Have luggage to check, pay an additional fee, need a paper boarding pass, pay a fee, change your departure time, pay a BIG fee.

The primary reason for this is the competition provided by the electronic booking services (Orbitz, Travelocity, etc). A potential customer can pull up quotations for air travel via all carriers, and they more often than not decide which carrier to use based solely on the lowest price shown on the screen (then they complain when they have to pay those fees).

Getting back to shipping....

The same phenomena is going in the shipping world. Customers that go to non-FedEx locations can get price quotes for UPS, FedEx and the USPS all at the same time. They more often than not choose based on bottom line price. Express is now trying to compete on that basis - whereas in the past, Express only concerned itself with being "competitive", not the absolute lowest price for a given service level.

Even large customers now have software which allows them to pull up quotes for both UPS and FedEx at the same time. They're not stupid, they will utilize the carrier which will provide the lowest price quote for the service level they desire (transit time). If you do a pick up route and have a customer which has both volume for UPS and Express - you know what is going on. This is why in the program which had Couriers give sales leads (can't remember the name, it has been awhile for me), pointedly told Couriers to look for UPS volume at locations which use Express. This would be a key indicator to sales to "sharpen their pencil" (give a better shipping rate) to that customer in future contract negotiations. The Courier wouldn't get a single penny for that "strategic information", but sales would use it to judge how good of a deal to give that customer in the future.

How that package moves through the systems of a potential carrier isn't a concern for the shipper, only the price and getting to the location at the time specified in the shipping quote. This is why FedEx isn't worried about moving non-overnight volume over to Ground for final delivery in the future - as long as the volume is delivered and the consignee receives their items on time, what does it matter that a different company makes the final delivery? Look up Smartpost and the UPS branded system where they utilize USPS for final delivery of volume - it is the "wave" of the future.

The other thing that is driving this is that the USPS is in the process of tanking right now. Congress will have to bail the USPS out, but FedEx is looking to position itself to take as much volume from USPS as possible. Competing on the basis of price and not service level will enable FedEx to grab a chunk of the shipping market - I've already posted on this topic.

The changes that are going on within Express right now aren't accidental. The frog is in the kettle of water and the heat just got turned up. What are you going to do about it? (Other than complain here).

http://www.teamster.org/content/organizing-assistance-request-form

http://fedxmx.com/sites/fedxmx.com/files/FedEx_RepresentationCard.pdf


[h=5]How do I become an organizer?[/h]Check with your local to see if it has an organizing program and sign up to be a volunteer member organizer. This will allow you to see an organizing campaign from the inside and gain experience if you wish to work for the union as a full-time organizer. If your local doesn't have an organizing program, check with your Joint Council and volunteer to help out on one of the Teamsters national organizing campaigns. If you have organizing experience and want to work for the Teamsters Organizing Department, you can send your resume to:
Organizing Department

International Brotherhood of Teamsters
25 Louisiana Ave. N.W.

Washington, D.C. 20001


---------------

Take note the emphasis on "volunteer" member - you are strictly a volunteer unless you have substantial experience with labor organizing.

 

[MrFedEx]

FedEx already moves Priority Mail and Express Mail airport to airport. That's why there are Express Drop Boxes at most large Post Office locations. Part of the deal.

 

[whenIgetthere]

In regards to Express keeping its "service" orientation/reputation going, FedEx isn't worried about it.

Right now, there is a "race to the bottom" - provide the minimal service for a price the customer is willing to pay which allows the greatest profit margin.

Everyone knows what has happened to airline service in the past 10 years, service has progressively gotten worse, and things which used to be included as part of a ticket purchase are now additional fees. Have luggage to check, pay an additional fee, need a paper boarding pass, pay a fee, change your departure time, pay a BIG fee.

The primary reason for this is the competition provided by the electronic booking services (Orbitz, Travelocity, etc). A potential customer can pull up quotations for air travel via all carriers, and they more often than not decide which carrier to use based solely on the lowest price shown on the screen (then they complain when they have to pay those fees).

Getting back to shipping....

The same phenomena is going in the shipping world. Customers that go to non-FedEx locations can get price quotes for UPS, FedEx and the USPS all at the same time. They more often than not choose based on bottom line price. Express is now trying to compete on that basis - whereas in the past, Express only concerned itself with being "competitive", not the absolute lowest price for a given service level.

Even large customers now have software which allows them to pull up quotes for both UPS and FedEx at the same time. They're not stupid, they will utilize the carrier which will provide the lowest price quote for the service level they desire (transit time). If you do a pick up route and have a customer which has both volume for UPS and Express - you know what is going on. This is why in the program which had Couriers give sales leads (can't remember the name, it has been awhile for me), pointedly told Couriers to look for UPS volume at locations which use Express. This would be a key indicator to sales to "sharpen their pencil" (give a better shipping rate) to that customer in future contract negotiations. The Courier wouldn't get a single penny for that "strategic information", but sales would use it to judge how good of a deal to give that customer in the future.

How that package moves through the systems of a potential carrier isn't a concern for the shipper, only the price and getting to the location at the time specified in the shipping quote. This is why FedEx isn't worried about moving non-overnight volume over to Ground for final delivery in the future - as long as the volume is delivered and the consignee receives their items on time, what does it matter that a different company makes the final delivery? Look up Smartpost and the UPS branded system where they utilize USPS for final delivery of volume - it is the "wave" of the future.

The other thing that is driving this is that the USPS is in the process of tanking right now. Congress will have to bail the USPS out, but FedEx is looking to position itself to take as much volume from USPS as possible. Competing on the basis of price and not service level will enable FedEx to grab a chunk of the shipping market - I've already posted on this topic.

The changes that are going on within Express right now aren't accidental. The frog is in the kettle of water and the heat just got turned up. What are you going to do about it? (Other than complain here).

http://www.teamster.org/content/organizing-assistance-request-form

http://fedxmx.com/sites/fedxmx.com/files/FedEx_RepresentationCard.pdf


How do I become an organizer?

Check with your local to see if it has an organizing program and sign up to be a volunteer member organizer. This will allow you to see an organizing campaign from the inside and gain experience if you wish to work for the union as a full-time organizer. If your local doesn't have an organizing program, check with your Joint Council and volunteer to help out on one of the Teamsters national organizing campaigns. If you have organizing experience and want to work for the Teamsters Organizing Department, you can send your resume to:
Organizing Department

International Brotherhood of Teamsters
25 Louisiana Ave. N.W.

Washington, D.C. 20001


---------------

Take note the emphasis on "volunteer" member - you are strictly a volunteer unless you have substantial experience with labor organizing.

You're not kidding about the extras. I have a very small business out of my house, and was using UPS, but the extras were killing me. Of course, the fuel surcharge, but delivery areas charges are what sent me to the post office instead. Even USPS is ridiculously expensive now, but they are a lot cheaper than UPS, and I don't need time or date specific delivery on the stuff I sell.