Have anything to back this up or did you read it here?
I doubt he does, but it really points out just how dependent FDX is on Ground if it
is true. Without Ground, you've got Express just getting by at a low profit margin. Please note that Fred S has been on a huge spending spree at Express, basically buying a largely new vehicle fleet over the past few years and is currently revamping the aircraft fleet as well. FedEx recently retired 7 additional aircraft
early, including at least 1 MD10 and 1 MD11. The remaining 5 were Airbus A340s and 300s. He owes Boeing some big money. Oh, and turnover is rampant at Express, and quite expensive. Efficiency is way down, and operations are usually in the toilet. It's a rare day when everything is on time and a station runs smoothly. Nobody really cares anymore, and most people who know what's going on (as in competent employees), are just waiting until they can either retire or find another job.
You're paying for it over at Ground, which suits me just fine given the way Fred gutted Express and killed our pension so he could build the Ground infrastructure. Now, it's your turn, and we'll see how the Ground/FDX relationship proceeds over the next few years. Would Fred S sit back and watch Ground operators like gixxersquid flail and fail? Yes, he would. To someone like Smith, gixxer shouldn't have any trouble finding drivers at either the flat rate or $650 per week...in San Francisco. To Fred, gixxer is just as bad businessman who doesn't know how to manage his operations and costs. Gixxersquid sounds plenty sharp to me, and I doubt you'd do any better under the same circumstances.
Fred S. Always there to bone you hard and then sandpaper your ass afterwards for good measure.