I think your celebration might be premature, Al Franken just got certified today.Its over,according to managment.Fedex has won the war.
I think your celebration might be premature, Al Franken just got certified today.Its over,according to managment.Fedex has won the war.
So they're gonna start giving you all these goodies because you've run up the costs? That's... interesting.
The only thing you accomplish by purposely running up the costs is giving management a reason to trim some fat. Wanna take a guess as to which employees they'll target first?
The only thing you accomplish by purposely running up the costs is giving management a reason to trim some fat. Wanna take a guess as to which employees they'll target first?
The fat ones?
In 1998, I made $52,000 as a FT Courier in a major market. In 2008, I made $44,000 in that same market. What does that say about the way FedEx has kept up with the cost of living? It was about the same in 2007, before the recession.
Maybe it's because you aren't getting the OT when the economy was better. Hmmm
Is it time to start disrupting FedEx Express operations? I talked about this a few months ago but recent events make the subject much more pertinent today.
It's clear that upper management is still playing the same old game of ignoring us and hoping we'll go away. They act like nothing's wrong and that everybody is a happy camper. It's fine with them if we continue to move backwards in terms of wages and benefits. Right now, we're at about 1998, and if they get their way, we'll continue to move back in time towards the Stone Age.
There are many things we can all do on a daily basis to make them pay attention, from just slowing down and doing everything by the book, to more radical actions that defy policy and risk retaliation. It wouldn't be difficult to slow things down by 10% and keep everyone within "policy".
Do you want to work for a WalMart clone, or do you want a better future than that? Perhaps it's time to step-up and cause some "problems".
I'm a full time courier in a major market and I only cleared about $39k last year...and we have pt's that are making almost $60k. What's wrong with this picture? I volunteer for extra hours wherever and whenever I can, yet I get shot down unless it benefits a manager for me to go back out. Four years ago I was clearing over $55k at the same station. I beg and plead for hours, and manage to scrape 38-39 on a good week...this is because one of our new managers had the brainstorm to move my missort route to the RTD's because it would eliminate a route and onroad hours.
I'm in for a "by-the-book" day. The managers, seniors and directors need to know we're serious (but have no way to prove it!!) Also, what does it tell you, when I miss ONE van scan out of a 1000 pc bulk, and a pt FO driver breaks 15 and a half hours IN ONE DAY??!! I get a written counseling and he got NOTHING so far, that was a month ago.
Please all you do is want to disrupt the company - get on with something new!
You're partially right....I have little faith in the Senate. As of last week, the exemption language has not even been added to the Senate version of the FAA Bill.
The senate commerce committee is still drawing up the bill. I really don't understand why it would not be looking good for the classification change at this point, it's looking better than it ever has. FedEx is trying to launch a grass roots campaign against this because they don't have faith in their lobbyists. That can be the only reason for the brownbailout propaganda. This issue is long from over right now.
The key point is that the language isn't in the bill right now. When ever language must be added, it must be done through an amendment process, that involves a lot of horse trading. FedEx is confident it will keep the language out, because their lobbyists have reported back that an amendment wouldn't have the votes to be included right now. This is the reason for the announcemnt a couple of weeks ago about NO pay raise this year and a pittance for next year. If the amendment looked like it was going to be included, we would've received something this year for payraises (cheaper to pay us a little now, in the hope that they don't pay us a lot later). The bailout propaganda is FedEx's attempt at misdirection. This is classic politics. Don't look at what the right hand is doing (keeping employees from unionizing), look at the left (UPS wants a bailout).
I see what your saying and I thought the same about the pay raises. However I also think they will be as cheap as possible as long as possible. As arrogant and strange as they are sometimes (and used to buying whatever exemptions they've gotten) I don't think they really are worried about appeasing employees right now. They still seem to be lobbying very hard against this bill, I don't really see how they know they have the votes. Did you hear some definite evidence of this? Just wondering. This is an article from a couple of days ago that shows FedEx still seems to be campaigning really hard to leave this express courier protection out of the Faa reauthorization. I just don't understand why they would still be doing this if their victory was certain at this point. Check it out.
http://www.ktuu.com/Global/story.asp?S=10625895
How do they know this,that they have the votes, right now?
That is what lobbyists and staffers are paid to do and know, and they are paid VERY well.
Did I hear some definate evidence of this? Yes, I heard evidence of this the weekend prior to the corporate wide email going out announcing no payraises for this year, and the very small raises for next year (which weren't even "guaranteed", they were conditional on unspecified goals being met).
I do have friends from before I was with FedEx, that I served political internships with when we were getting our bachelors degrees. One just happens to be very familiar with the goings on with transportation issues (works as a staffer). The language isn't in, and so far, it isn't anticipated to be included during final markup of the bill when it hits full committee. However, that staffer friend of mine admits that you can never predict the future in Washington unless you can get information out of the horses mouth literally (all Senators), and very few actually get that.
As with all things political, this could change in a moment if a handshake is made here and there. A politician can shake the hand of a lobbyists one moment, and after they've left his office, call in their staffer to make notes to change pending legislation one way or another. Nothing is truly guaranteed in Washington until the final bill makes it to the floor for vote.
FedEx will continue to fight like crazy until the FAA reauthorizaton bill makes it out of Congress. This is the closest that they've come to having to deal with unions in the history of the company. They've made it VERY clear that they see unions entering FedEx (with the exception of the pilots) as a doomsday scenario. FedEx would have to change they way it conducts business and would lose an important competitive edge against UPS. If FedEx were to simultaneously lose its RLA status for Express, and have the IC model for Ground smacked down by the courts, it would be in a world of hurt. Both "divisions" would have the Teamsters knocking down the doors in no time, and FedEx would lose big (the employees would win big).
It used to be said what was good for FedEx was good for its employees. This isn't the case anymore. Given the change in corporate philosophy over the past 5-10 years (from even before I worked with FedEx), what is good for FedEx is BAD for its employees. Most just don't realize it, or don't want to realize that (big cognitive dissonance issue would develop).
For FedEx Corporation, the issues involve literally BILLIONS of dollars over a modest time frame. This is why they aren't going to stop fighting until its RLA status is as secure as the nation's gold supply. To FedEx, the RLA status is as good as gold and they'll stop at nothing to preserve it. FedEx shouldn't have the GFT policy mounted on a nice plaque in every operating location, it should have the Railway Labor Act mounted on a nice plaque with gold leaf borders.
I want to know if you guys are so unhappy with FedEx and Fred S then why dont you find a new job.Leave the ones who beleive in FedEx alone. Your constant complaining does nothing but prove that you are in fact an employee who comes to work and brings down moral. There is a name for people like you and its a "VIRUS". We would be glad to be rid of you so why dont you jump ship to the BIG BROWN and then you can complain about how bad it is there too. You will never be happy at anything you do. I heard DHL is hiring in Germany!!!!!
I want to know if you guys are so unhappy with FedEx and Fred S then why dont you find a new job.Leave the ones who beleive in FedEx alone. Your constant complaining does nothing but prove that you are in fact an employee who comes to work and brings down moral. There is a name for people like you and its a "VIRUS". We would be glad to be rid of you so why dont you jump ship to the BIG BROWN and then you can complain about how bad it is there too. You will never be happy at anything you do. I heard DHL is hiring in Germany!!!!!
Chad; Just who is "we"? If you work in this industry you would understand that an employee in the trucking industry is going to have to start from the bottom when he or she starts a new job, with a new company. So unless he or she wants to give up 10 or 15 years of seniority and start all over again, the smart move is for them to work to improve the conditions at their present employer, and that is what "WE" the hourly employees at express are trying to do.