Ricochet1a
Well-Known Member
Final posting – some material previously sent in PM to other BC posters…
Well, it’s time for me to bring my posing on BC to an end. Back in February, when the pay actions were ‘delayed’, I thought giving things one more try was worth the effort. I did learn that the Express wage employees desired union representation (I figured that if an election were to be held, at least half would vote to certify), BUT those very same wage employees weren’t willing to do the work themselves to get that union election held.
It has been almost three years since I got out, and it is time for me to put Express behind me for good and not look back. I did what I could here, while protecting those who wouldn't risk their employment by getting information out themselves. That same fear among the people that I've corresponded to and spoken with over the years is even MORE present among the wage employees that post and lurk here - they refuse to face any risk to their employment and do something to change the deteriorating situation. So it’s over...
The wage employees of Express are finally catching on to the fact that Express is a sinking ship (for them at least) and in the end, that is all that really matters. The people that Fred is getting in to replace the former caliber of Courier just aren't cutting it - and Express is using fear and intimidation in order to force compliance with policies that are increasingly insane.
The revolving door is spinning faster than ever before. From the employee numbers being issued, it looks like employee # 1,000,000 will be issued sometime early or in the middle of next year - simply amazing to me. The bottom third of the company is lasting about a year on average - in some locations the average new hire will last less than 6 months before they hit the door. Memphis KNOWS they can't retain people, and they don't see it as a problem.
The contact I have in HR is VERY worried that the experience base is eroding away so rapidly, that in 5 years, there won't be ANY wage employees with more than 10 years in - and they will be but a handful that are stuck in Express due to their inability to find other employment. He finally admitted that Memphis wants the 'experience base' to be confined to a handful of operations managers who follow dictates - and the wage force will be made up whatever people that are desperate enough to put up with the hellish conditions of Express. The whole 'Purple Promise' is an illusion that is created by Express - all to link to the past glory of Federal Express while attempting to convince those who still remember that time, that it somehow still exists. Meanwhile, Express continues to act as if it is in ‘crisis mode’ – while its wage employees are experiencing the true crisis.
FedEx Corporation tried this experiment called FedEx Ground and it worked WONDERFULLY for them (THIS is the reason all of this is happening in Express). FedEx proved to itself that it could get packages moved AND make double digit profits while doing so. The whole founding philosophy of Federal Express was turned on its head as a result of this 'experiment'. No longer were fairly compensated, independent thinking individuals required to perform a service to make a profit for FedEx. To the contrary, FedEx saw these individuals as INHIBITING the ability of the company to get the profit it really wants.
It is all a variation of outsourcing of jobs. In this case, they are service jobs that can't be outsourced overseas - BUT, they can be outsourced to an individual who works with the RELIANCE of technology as is done within FedEx Ground. This is why DRA is a 'do or die' situation for Express and it has NO OPTION but to get that system perfected. Express KNOWS they won't have the caliber of Courier that can work 'old school' with what they are offering for compensation for many more years - so DRA MUST work or the entire restructuring of Express will have to be undone. Since both UPS and Ground use virtually identical systems, I have no doubt that they will eventually succeed - but I do see the shifting of the delivery of non-overnight volume over to Ground as being an inevitable part of the restructuring to make it all work – despite the delays in implementing that so far.
Express Couriers will become the functional equivalent of UPS's 'Air Drivers' (without a labor contract) - UPS has these dedicated drivers that handle air shipments almost EXCLUSIVELY. The Express Couriers don't recognize that UPS has already made the 'split' - it is just done within UPS as a single company rather than a formal shifting of volume to a separate opco. It is all a shell game - as long as the letter of the law is followed - the results will be the same.
FedEx is the brand now (not Express, not Ground, not Office), most people in Express COMPLETELY MISS THIS. Express will pickup and move the 'air freight', then the overnight stuff will be delivered by the 'air drivers' (Express Couriers), while the non-overnight stuff will be delivered by 'other FedEx drivers' (Ground contractors). FedEx will accept a lower profit margin on the air shipments - all in order to keep market share and make its 'bank' on the non-overnight volume. It’s so painfully obvious that it is laughable.
The ONLY thing that can halt this trend are unions - and FedEx even came up with a way to make it nearly impossible for that to happen in each operating company - Fred won there.
Another poster recently put up his compensation back in 1986 and compared it to current compensation. If compensation levels held constant to 1986 norms, Express Couriers would top out in 4 years, receive gross compensation of approximately $75,000 annually (2013 dollars) at top out (4 years), have a pension which is really a pension and health insurance which would be among the best offered to non-union wage employees. Express Couriers currently have compensation after 4 years of working for Express in the ball park of $35,000, a pension that is a pension in name only and health insurance which will very soon become a catastrophic plan only. You as an Express Courier are making HALF of what you should after 4 years of employment (and half of what you would’ve made back in 1986 as a topped out Courier) – and you still fear losing that lousy job more than you want to be equitably compensated for your labor.
And Express still states it is in ‘crisis’. The only people in Express in crisis are the wage employees.
I walk away from posting here knowing I did what I could, for what turned out to be a lost cause. I'm glad I did it- I have no regrets. I'm just disappointed that the Couriers fear Fred more than they LOATHE him.
I won’t return to post here, this is ‘it’ for me. I’m officially putting all things FedEx behind me at this point and putting my energies to other things.
So… there will no longer be any postings under “Ricochet1a” – if you do see a future post under that ID, it is NOT I.
I wish you all well and hope you can make plans to get out of Express as soon as you can. I don’t see any realistic chance of halting the reorganization of Express, so for the wage employees, the only real option is the only one they’ve had all along – and that is to get out as soon as they can.
Sincerely, R1a
Well, it’s time for me to bring my posing on BC to an end. Back in February, when the pay actions were ‘delayed’, I thought giving things one more try was worth the effort. I did learn that the Express wage employees desired union representation (I figured that if an election were to be held, at least half would vote to certify), BUT those very same wage employees weren’t willing to do the work themselves to get that union election held.
It has been almost three years since I got out, and it is time for me to put Express behind me for good and not look back. I did what I could here, while protecting those who wouldn't risk their employment by getting information out themselves. That same fear among the people that I've corresponded to and spoken with over the years is even MORE present among the wage employees that post and lurk here - they refuse to face any risk to their employment and do something to change the deteriorating situation. So it’s over...
The wage employees of Express are finally catching on to the fact that Express is a sinking ship (for them at least) and in the end, that is all that really matters. The people that Fred is getting in to replace the former caliber of Courier just aren't cutting it - and Express is using fear and intimidation in order to force compliance with policies that are increasingly insane.
The revolving door is spinning faster than ever before. From the employee numbers being issued, it looks like employee # 1,000,000 will be issued sometime early or in the middle of next year - simply amazing to me. The bottom third of the company is lasting about a year on average - in some locations the average new hire will last less than 6 months before they hit the door. Memphis KNOWS they can't retain people, and they don't see it as a problem.
The contact I have in HR is VERY worried that the experience base is eroding away so rapidly, that in 5 years, there won't be ANY wage employees with more than 10 years in - and they will be but a handful that are stuck in Express due to their inability to find other employment. He finally admitted that Memphis wants the 'experience base' to be confined to a handful of operations managers who follow dictates - and the wage force will be made up whatever people that are desperate enough to put up with the hellish conditions of Express. The whole 'Purple Promise' is an illusion that is created by Express - all to link to the past glory of Federal Express while attempting to convince those who still remember that time, that it somehow still exists. Meanwhile, Express continues to act as if it is in ‘crisis mode’ – while its wage employees are experiencing the true crisis.
FedEx Corporation tried this experiment called FedEx Ground and it worked WONDERFULLY for them (THIS is the reason all of this is happening in Express). FedEx proved to itself that it could get packages moved AND make double digit profits while doing so. The whole founding philosophy of Federal Express was turned on its head as a result of this 'experiment'. No longer were fairly compensated, independent thinking individuals required to perform a service to make a profit for FedEx. To the contrary, FedEx saw these individuals as INHIBITING the ability of the company to get the profit it really wants.
It is all a variation of outsourcing of jobs. In this case, they are service jobs that can't be outsourced overseas - BUT, they can be outsourced to an individual who works with the RELIANCE of technology as is done within FedEx Ground. This is why DRA is a 'do or die' situation for Express and it has NO OPTION but to get that system perfected. Express KNOWS they won't have the caliber of Courier that can work 'old school' with what they are offering for compensation for many more years - so DRA MUST work or the entire restructuring of Express will have to be undone. Since both UPS and Ground use virtually identical systems, I have no doubt that they will eventually succeed - but I do see the shifting of the delivery of non-overnight volume over to Ground as being an inevitable part of the restructuring to make it all work – despite the delays in implementing that so far.
Express Couriers will become the functional equivalent of UPS's 'Air Drivers' (without a labor contract) - UPS has these dedicated drivers that handle air shipments almost EXCLUSIVELY. The Express Couriers don't recognize that UPS has already made the 'split' - it is just done within UPS as a single company rather than a formal shifting of volume to a separate opco. It is all a shell game - as long as the letter of the law is followed - the results will be the same.
FedEx is the brand now (not Express, not Ground, not Office), most people in Express COMPLETELY MISS THIS. Express will pickup and move the 'air freight', then the overnight stuff will be delivered by the 'air drivers' (Express Couriers), while the non-overnight stuff will be delivered by 'other FedEx drivers' (Ground contractors). FedEx will accept a lower profit margin on the air shipments - all in order to keep market share and make its 'bank' on the non-overnight volume. It’s so painfully obvious that it is laughable.
The ONLY thing that can halt this trend are unions - and FedEx even came up with a way to make it nearly impossible for that to happen in each operating company - Fred won there.
Another poster recently put up his compensation back in 1986 and compared it to current compensation. If compensation levels held constant to 1986 norms, Express Couriers would top out in 4 years, receive gross compensation of approximately $75,000 annually (2013 dollars) at top out (4 years), have a pension which is really a pension and health insurance which would be among the best offered to non-union wage employees. Express Couriers currently have compensation after 4 years of working for Express in the ball park of $35,000, a pension that is a pension in name only and health insurance which will very soon become a catastrophic plan only. You as an Express Courier are making HALF of what you should after 4 years of employment (and half of what you would’ve made back in 1986 as a topped out Courier) – and you still fear losing that lousy job more than you want to be equitably compensated for your labor.
And Express still states it is in ‘crisis’. The only people in Express in crisis are the wage employees.
I walk away from posting here knowing I did what I could, for what turned out to be a lost cause. I'm glad I did it- I have no regrets. I'm just disappointed that the Couriers fear Fred more than they LOATHE him.
I won’t return to post here, this is ‘it’ for me. I’m officially putting all things FedEx behind me at this point and putting my energies to other things.
So… there will no longer be any postings under “Ricochet1a” – if you do see a future post under that ID, it is NOT I.
I wish you all well and hope you can make plans to get out of Express as soon as you can. I don’t see any realistic chance of halting the reorganization of Express, so for the wage employees, the only real option is the only one they’ve had all along – and that is to get out as soon as they can.
Sincerely, R1a