7 years here. The company you work for and the company I work for are worlds apart. I can't speak for the rest of the Fedexs on this forum.. But I think it's pretty safe to say that the majority of us feel we have been lied to and cheated. We are all here for the same reason.. A pay check. That that being said...There are two classes of couriers at this company.. Those who are topped out and those who will NEVER be. The rich and the poor. Winners and losers. I see why you have such a chipper outlook for your job and I respect that to a point. You are well compensated for your hard work. Most us are not fairly compensated for our hard work. Some of us are dangerously close to living in poverty.
In 2010 when I was making my futile attempt at organizing at the station I was at and surrounding stations, I ran into her "type" more than I cared to. They exist for a reason, to help dilute the wage employee pool just enough so that Fred never has to worry about a real unionizaion drive.
In most companies, it is the high tenure employees which usually form the "leadership" of any organization drive - in Express, most of them are either too worried that they'll lose what they have gained over the years - or that they'll actually have to start working again for whatever small gain THEY'D receive as a result of organization. Most won't come right out and admit it, but when they're pressed, they will admit something to the effect, "I've got mine, best of luck in getting yours". That sentiment is more widespread than most would believe.
This has been a deliberate effort of Express, to create divisions among the wage crafts so that any attempt at solidarity is doomed - due to the self-interest of those who are topped out. They tend to be worried about really having to "work" again, for what would be a "minor" gain in compensation - the honest ones will admit to that. They know that if Express really wanted to play hardball, they could end up being put on a route that a 20-something struggles with, and they'd end up in physical therapy if they had to do it for a month.
When one has NO OPTIONS outside of the one Fred has given them, they aren't about to start rocking the boat and asking for more compensation - many know they'd end up out of a job within a few months due to their inability to handle those "monster" routes (and for the CSAs, have to constantly staff the counter instead of being able to hide in the back talking on their cell phone to their "buds"). Best to sing the praises of Fred, kiss his boots and tell all those around just how great Express really is.
The UPS-ers are talking about how there will be a two level compensation scheme in their next contact negotiation (divided between the old and new, with lower compensation for the "new")... Well, in Express, that has existed for well over a decade now.
What took UPS so long to learn Fred's methods???
It is actually beneficial to the forum here to have someone with her point of view posting - so those at the bottom (and who will stay at the bottom for as long as they are with Express) can see just how out of touch those at the top of progression are. It also demonstrates how indifferent those who have been with Express for over 20 years are to those who have been with Express for less than 5 years and are making (in real terms) just the same or even less than they did their first day as a Courier - despite the fact that those with 20+ years in topped out in under 2 years.
If they were paid at the same rate as those with under 10 years in are getting paid, they wouldn't be kissing Fred's boots - they'd be complaining too. The difference is, they AREN'T getting paid what those with under 10 years in are getting paid, and are at the point where they don't want to risk what THEY have. So in their mind, the low progression employees who didn't get as good of a deal they got 20+ years ago are left to fend for themselves - but Fred is really swell, he'll take care of you (just like he is taking care of those "helpers" in Ground who get his volume delivered - they are getting taken care of)...
They got theirs, best of luck in getting yours...