Illegal Anti-Union Meetings

[DOWNTRODDEN IN TEXAS]

As a firsthand survivor of the GFT process, on more than one letter and I've been fired and re-instated, it is a joke. How nice would it be to know that you actually have someone ON YOUR SIDE in that situation?

GFT.... Are you kidding!!!!



I've had first hand experience with FedEx's "guilty until one can prove their innocence" method. I'm not going to give details of my personal experiences, but the first time I was faced with this situation, I was dumbfounded that I was treated as being guilty of something with just an accusation. I was able to prove my innocence, by picking apart the inconsistancies in the "evidence" presented against me (thank God I've got an analytical mind and am educated). It was a case of personal vendetta pure and simple, and I had to PROVE my innocence, NOT the other way around.

Our HR rep actually told several of us "troublemaking union sympathizers" that she was on the company's side no matter what we told her, so we decided to take it over her head. Another 24 hour "disapperance" of problem.


FedEx will often place employees in a one on one meeting with the HR rep (who is "supposed" to protect the interest of the employees) when something occurs, and there are conflicting accounts (as there is almost always). The HR rep will take the role of cop, and attempt to get the employee to admit to something, anything and then make a written statement. Oftentimes, the less savy employees will see this as an opportunity to admit to a "lesser" offense, in order to make the one they are being accused of "go away". FedEx takes the written statement, and uses that as self incriminating evidence to issue a warning letter.


FedEx...assume NOTHING question EVERYTHING!!

 

[MrFedEx]

GFT and the Open Door Policy are two of the reasons FedEx gets voted one of "America's Best Places To Work" every year. Outsiders don't know how they are really administered, so they sound great, and FedEx looks like a great place to work. It's the same with PSP type policies in general. They are phony and mean nothing other than a way for FedEx to generate good PR and buffalo employees into thinking they work for a caring company.

 

[FedEX 4 Life]

You've got a lot to learn about the way FedEx works. Ricochet1's post is right on the money, and Job #1 at FedEx is protecting yourself, because you are totally expendable at any moment. All it takes is one important customer who doesn't like you (for any reason) to complain, and you are gone. Maybe they just don't like your shoes or your relationship with the receptionist...doesn't matter. You can GFT or Open Door all you like, and all it's going to do is strengthen their case against you. This advice goes for Corporate Security as well. Your best defense is comprehensive notes or a lawyer...sometimes you need both.

Ofcourse its all about protecting yourself,but you are full of crap that if a customer makes a complaint and you are gone.Cmon,who are you kidding?

 

[MrFedEx]

Ofcourse its all about protecting yourself,but you are full of crap that if a customer makes a complaint and you are gone.Cmon,who are you kidding?

I'm kidding nobody. I've seen plenty of people terminated for a one-time encounter with a customer. It's your word against theirs, and since you have no legitimate process to fall back on, they will throw you away like trash if it's an important customer.

 

[FedEX 4 Life]

I'm kidding nobody. I've seen plenty of people terminated for a one-time encounter with a customer. It's your word against theirs, and since you have no legitimate process to fall back on, they will throw you away like trash if it's an important customer.

Stop making **** up.

Its lame.

 

[Ricochet1a]

Ofcourse its all about protecting yourself,but you are full of crap that if a customer makes a complaint and you are gone.Cmon,who are you kidding?

Large volume customers have a lot of sway with FDX. If you dont't know that, well...

Customers that ship as well as receive large volumes get that extra special treatment, or they're on the telephone to your station complaining that Courier X didn't meet their every whim. I've had first hand experience with this.

I was regularily overloaded with P-1 and had a certain receiving department manager at at big box store think their time was much more important than mine. They wanted to treat Express as any other freight delivery, with waiting unitl they were ready to count pieces and only then sign for delivery. I was spending upwards to 10 minutes in the location to get one stop off that should've taken 2-3 minutes, and they weren't tied up with other freight. They were just "communicating" that they were in the power position, and not the courier. I was burning 1-2 P-1 a day, because of this situation. I had enough, and started leaving door tags if they weren't signing the ppad within 5 minutes of my arrival. The situation escalated, since I was burning P-1 and getting stuck at this location.

The receiving manager called the station and complained. Supposedly there is supposed to be a 5 minute window for the consignee to sign or we can leave. This doesn't apply to customers who receive large volumes on a regular basis. I ended up getting an OLCC for not providing adequate customer service. The only "out" was to change routes. The next poor schmuck that got the route was faced with the same thing. The route goal eventually had to be changed, to accomodate this one customer. No other customer on the route had the same problems. It was purely a power play by the manager of that store.

I've had other problems with customers not wanting to sign for deliveries promptly upon arrival. With the squeeze of increasing route goals, every second is needed to make sure nothing burns. They complain if they don't get their stuff on time, but they have no sense of urgency when you actually arrive. They all have this mindset that their shipments are the only one you are making for the day. They don't get the concept that they are number 12 of 84 for that day.

Customers know all they have to do is call the station, and the employee will receive an instant OLCC. No dispute mechanism, no getting your side of the story, no entering your account of the situation along with the managers "story". Read this, enter your computer signature here. Congrats, the electronic papertrail just got that much longer.

This is one of the many reasons no one cares anymore. We are working harder and harder, and being told we're incompetent if we don't meet the ever increasing goals and keep customer service at the same time. At the same time our compensation package keeps on losing ground every year.

There is only ONE reason that Express is able to keep some semblance of service level right now. I hate to say this, but it is because of the career employee that is stuck with no other options for an occupation. They know what is going on, but they aren't in a position to do anything. They don't want to rock the boat, for fear of making things worse. The middle of the Courier experience scale has almost disappeared. I'm part of that middle. It isn't a job worth having. Once the new hire learns this, they're looking for a new job PDQ. The only reason turnover has slowed in the past year is because of the economy.

At my location, in the year prior to the last, the turnover rate hit 30%. They were in a permanent training mode and near panic mode. Station goals weren't being met, since all the experience had left. The rate slowed, but has picked back up in the past few months. People are just getting sick of it and either quitting or retiring early. We are actually running heavy into OT, since the attrition has been so high.

Once the economy picks up, people will start leaving in droves. I kind of think this is Fred's plan, to get rid of the topped out Couriers. In the meantime, we don't care and we just go through the motions to avoid getting an OLCC. No one gives a rat's tail about the performance review anymore, since it means nothing now. We aren't trying to do a "good" job, we're trying just to get the job done and passing the time until we can quit.

In the current environment, customers know that they can complain and their every wish will be granted. FedEx will bend over backward to retain revenue and while they're bending backward, the employee is being bent forwards.

 

[FedEx Trade Networks]

I'm kidding nobody. I've seen plenty of people terminated for a one-time encounter with a customer. It's your word against theirs, and since you have no legitimate process to fall back on, they will throw you away like trash if it's an important customer.

We have customers who pay a premium for 'specialized' handling. There have been times that mishandling has caused penalities from Customs in excess of $10K. I'm sure these folks were disciplined but they're still employed.

Over the years since my employment with TowerGroup/FedEx Trade Networks, I've only witnessed a handful of employees getting terminated. Just my perception, but it seems in our division it is not easy to get terminated unless you commit fraud or bring a gun into the hub. (That's right, we're on site to serve our biggest customer - FedEx Express!)

 

[mungrin]

wow,you fedex guys sound like you would rather have had layoffs.Atleast Fred kept you employed while the company tanked.

 

[FedEx All the Way!]

wow,you fedex guys sound like you would rather have had layoffs.Atleast Fred kept you employed while the company tanked.

And by that you mean, UPS layed everyone off - then not only does Fred care about his employee he also rocks!!!!

 

[FedEx All the Way!]

You are sounding more and more like a troll with every post, but I'll bite on this one. Management is required to be "neutral" and cannot actively advocate either for or against unionization.That's why the verbage of the anti-union meetings is so carefully crafted...by FedEx Legal. By calling them "information sessions" and controlling the content so the senior manager cannot deviate from the script, he/she cannot wander off into the land of the illegal.

IMO, they're not legal, and according to both the RLA and the NLRA they're not legal either. FedEx isn't supposed to be actively anti-union, but they have been for 36 years and counting. You're kind of slow, but have you ever wondered why Fred always has this exact same comment when asked about unionization of FedEx Express. "FedEx is not against unions in any way". That covers him legally. The reality is something else that you choose to ignore.

Is everyone a troll to you! Do you actually look in the mirror and listen to yourself -

 

[UnconTROLLed]

Large volume customers have a lot of sway with FDX. If you dont't know that, well...

Customers that ship as well as receive large volumes get that extra special treatment, or they're on the telephone to your station complaining that Courier X didn't meet their every whim. I've had first hand experience with this.

I was regularily overloaded with P-1 and had a certain receiving department manager at at big box store think their time was much more important than mine. They wanted to treat Express as any other freight delivery, with waiting unitl they were ready to count pieces and only then sign for delivery. I was spending upwards to 10 minutes in the location to get one stop off that should've taken 2-3 minutes, and they weren't tied up with other freight. They were just "communicating" that they were in the power position, and not the courier. I was burning 1-2 P-1 a day, because of this situation. I had enough, and started leaving door tags if they weren't signing the ppad within 5 minutes of my arrival. The situation escalated, since I was burning P-1 and getting stuck at this location.

The receiving manager called the station and complained. Supposedly there is supposed to be a 5 minute window for the consignee to sign or we can leave. This doesn't apply to customers who receive large volumes on a regular basis. I ended up getting an OLCC for not providing adequate customer service. The only "out" was to change routes. The next poor schmuck that got the route was faced with the same thing. The route goal eventually had to be changed, to accomodate this one customer. No other customer on the route had the same problems. It was purely a power play by the manager of that store.

I've had other problems with customers not wanting to sign for deliveries promptly upon arrival. With the squeeze of increasing route goals, every second is needed to make sure nothing burns. They complain if they don't get their stuff on time, but they have no sense of urgency when you actually arrive. They all have this mindset that their shipments are the only one you are making for the day. They don't get the concept that they are number 12 of 84 for that day.

Customers know all they have to do is call the station, and the employee will receive an instant OLCC. No dispute mechanism, no getting your side of the story, no entering your account of the situation along with the managers "story". Read this, enter your computer signature here. Congrats, the electronic papertrail just got that much longer.

This is one of the many reasons no one cares anymore. We are working harder and harder, and being told we're incompetent if we don't meet the ever increasing goals and keep customer service at the same time. At the same time our compensation package keeps on losing ground every year.

There is only ONE reason that Express is able to keep some semblance of service level right now. I hate to say this, but it is because of the career employee that is stuck with no other options for an occupation. They know what is going on, but they aren't in a position to do anything. They don't want to rock the boat, for fear of making things worse. The middle of the Courier experience scale has almost disappeared. I'm part of that middle. It isn't a job worth having. Once the new hire learns this, they're looking for a new job PDQ. The only reason turnover has slowed in the past year is because of the economy.

At my location, in the year prior to the last, the turnover rate hit 30%. They were in a permanent training mode and near panic mode. Station goals weren't being met, since all the experience had left. The rate slowed, but has picked back up in the past few months. People are just getting sick of it and either quitting or retiring early. We are actually running heavy into OT, since the attrition has been so high.

Once the economy picks up, people will start leaving in droves. I kind of think this is Fred's plan, to get rid of the topped out Couriers. In the meantime, we don't care and we just go through the motions to avoid getting an OLCC. No one gives a rat's tail about the performance review anymore, since it means nothing now. We aren't trying to do a "good" job, we're trying just to get the job done and passing the time until we can quit.

In the current environment, customers know that they can complain and their every wish will be granted. FedEx will bend over backward to retain revenue and while they're bending backward, the employee is being bent forwards.

Same issues at UPS, believe me. I know you probably don't care, but I have had sups give me "the talk" about poor cu service and handling wtihout even hearing my side of the story.

The customer was a complete maroon and I was respectful and tried to help them.
customer files complaint and they manage to talk to a sup or complaint filters down to center level

Sup: "we know there are two sides to every story...but we cant be having these complaints come in, i dont have time to deal with them for one..."

well that is nice, but I really do not care if your day is too busy to do your job OR that the customer was unhappy. It is not my fault and if you dont want to hear the other side then I dont want to hear about the complaint.

 

[MrFedEx]

Is everyone a troll to you! Do you actually look in the mirror and listen to yourself -

Please say something meaningful. ***************Is that helpful?

 

[Ricochet1a]

wow,you fedex guys sound like you would rather have had layoffs.Atleast Fred kept you employed while the company tanked.

Well... If the insurance was kept in force, I probably wouldn't mind a few months away from FedEx. I'm fortunate enough not to really need what is left in my paycheck after the premiums for our benefits are deducted (I'm part-time, low end of wage scale Courier).

He kept us employed since he is receiving a BARGAIN in the deal. His labor costs are 30-35% lower than UPS's. And he didn't keep everyone employed.

There have been wage employees in markets that have had serious downturns that have been "displaced". They were given a time period (usually 90 days) to either transfer to another location that was understaffed, or lose their job. They were given the option of taking a very modest cash payout if they decided at the time they were notified to voluntarily leave FedEx. If they elected to NOT take the cash payout and stayed with FedEx (and were unsuccessful in finding another position to take), they were out with no severance.

My understanding is that most took the "severance". Trying to sell one's home and buying another in this environment isn't a good idea. Having one's employer in essence show them the door in a "take it or leave it" manner isn't very conducive to maintaining loyalty after what has happened over the past 18 months. Most positions required a 12 month time in station committment if they took the open position. So they couldn't just transfer to one place, live in an apartment for awhile, and when a position opened up close to "home" transfer back. FedEx uses either a 12 or 18 time in station requirement to keep employees from playing musical chairs with positions.

 

[mungrin]

Does UPS offer severance or do they just lay off?

 

[Ricochet1a]

Does UPS offer severance or do they just lay off?

With FedEx, the key term is "lay off". FedEx wants to maintain its position that it has never had to lay off a wage employee. They have had lay offs for salaried employees, but not hourly. As part of the severance package, it is a specified that it isn't a lay off, but rather a voluntary departure. If an employee is notified that their position is going to be eliminated, they aren't to be subjected to a lay off, but rather their job will have been eliminated. Its all parcing of language, but that is what FedEx does so very well.

The "displaced" employee's status isn't technically a "lay off", since that would have to involve seniority on a company wide scale. They are given the option of receiving a severance, or 90 days to accept another job posting with FedEx. If they don't take the severance, and don't accept another position within 90 days, their position is closed and they are considered to have terminated employment voluntarily. I'm not sure of their status for unemployment compensation. On the face of it, I'd assume they're eligible, but who knows.

It is another subterfuge for FedEx to cut positions where there is excess manning, give an option for the "excess" to accept a position in a station that has a vacancy, and get away with stating that they have never had a lay off for its hourly employees. Technically they are correct, but it is all semantics.

 

[Testicular Fortitude]

you don't work for the company, your husband does. That means you've never jumpseated and your comments are lies. The jumpseater who attacked the crew was a fellow fedex pilot, who was upset because he was going to get fired. For the record, there is currently no personal jumpseat.

Our medical and dental benefits are not very good and the vision "plan" is a joke. You can do better by just paying out of pocket on the vision, and cigna has never seen a medical claim they like....they deny all the time. Their former head of pr just finished testifying in front of congress last week, and cigna didn't fare well. And if you don't mind that your doctor got his md from the botswana academy of witch doctors, they've got a fine selection of providers. Dental yearly limits are way too low, and if anything major happens it's straight out of your pocket.

Here's the big one...the portable pension plan, which isn't a pension at all because nobody but a hobo could live off of it. They killed the real pension plan last year, and that one was about half what a union pension would be.

The other benefits you mentioned are largely worthless. Please do a little more research before your next post...this one is more mindless than usual, especially the lies. I actually work there...don't you think i can spot it when you say crap that isn't even remotely true?

bravo mr.fedex we the true employees of fedex express and followers of this site know what a fake,phony and fraud featw is.with every one of her insane posts she/he strengthens the need for union representation.as the late and great billy martin would state about george steinbrenner and reggie jackson,one is a born liar and the other a convicted one the same holds true for featw

 

[Testicular Fortitude]

i'd be lying if i said i could last a week at ups.they can keep thier job.i'll take the stress free job instead.heres the way i see it.most union jobs i know of,the managers dont really bother the employees for fear of the union coming down on them but thats absolutely not the case at ups.managers are always coming down and nit picking for stupid little things.terminating employees for dumb crap left and right.it is definatly not like that at fedex and we dont have a union.shouldnt it be the reverse?

Does anyone else see sometihng wrong here?

fedex 4 life i would love to know what station you work at and transfer there.your station is the exception to the rule.i am at a a-station and the managers nit pick on every little thing.they expect you to perform at 120 per cent every day even during severe thunderstorms ,heavy snowfall and 100 plus temperature with high humidity[no a/c in my truck in the northeast]

 

[Testicular Fortitude]

this is good to know.ive never really got into to trouble but now i have a few poiners.back to my point,ive never seen a car with fedex managers driving around lloking for drivers making mistakes to write them up.i do howver see a car with ups sups driving around and hiding,atleast 3 times a month.
Back in 99,my old station,there were a few managers that were complete **********but after too many critical sfas,they were gone.i'm not crzy about my current management now,but they leave us lone.and yes its laid back.im a night guy and rarely even see my managers.we have a lead at night that runs the show.
My point is that the union company seems stricter than the non-union company.

again your station is the exception to the rule unless you are unfamiliar with what happens during the day.ops managers and even our senior mgr have been out spot checking the couriers for the last 10 years.as far as the sfa goes i have personally seen managers get bad sfa scores and promoted to senior managers

 

[bbsam]

fedex 4 life i would love to know what station you work at and transfer there.your station is the exception to the rule.i am at a a-station and the managers nit pick on every little thing.they expect you to perform at 120 per cent every day even during severe thunderstorms ,heavy snowfall and 100 plus temperature with high humidity[no a/c in my truck in the northeast]

for all the "testicular fortitude" you seem to think you have, maybe you just need to grow thicker skin. that's kind of a smarta** comment to make, but in all reallity you and mrfedex do seem to only complain and wish for a time long ago that isn't coming back. what's the worst that could happen if you just showed up everyday, did your best and let the chips fall where they may? if you get fired, would you really miss the job?

 

[DOWNTRODDEN IN TEXAS]

for all the "testicular fortitude" you seem to think you have, maybe you just need to grow thicker skin. that's kind of a smarta** comment to make, but in all reallity you and mrfedex do seem to only complain and wish for a time long ago that isn't coming back. what's the worst that could happen if you just showed up everyday, did your best and let the chips fall where they may? if you get fired, would you really miss the job?


Other than my awesome coworkers. the insurance for my kids, and having to look for another job...NO, I wouldn't miss it at all. Actually, the job hunting is the one that I really don't look forward to...lol