Money Money Money

[Goldilocks]

What has happened to Express? We use to love to come to work and party together at night. I know Ground Drivers dont get paid or have the benifits we do, but we at Express use to be so tight. All of us are family. Remember the Christmas Parties when we first began. We had some awsome fun, open bars at major hotels, comedians and live bands,dancing all night and most of us would get rooms and keep having fun until dawn. They spent a fortune on us. and we did an awsome job. WE CREATED FEDERAL EXPRESS. I know some of you know what I am talking about. Between 1980 and 2012, WTH happened....? Corporate Greed? I look at some Ground Drivers and managers, is it all about MONEY? You are missing the tightness, the love and the wanting to do the best job that we had....Its so sad......Its all about money now....I'm truly sorry that you have never experience this, because I can say, that most Express Drivers and Employees are my family and always be....Love You Express, hang tight we will get thru this.....

 

[Rhoderunner]

Remember the Christmas Parties when we first began. We had some awsome fun, open bars at major hotels, comedians and live bands,dancing all night and most of us would get rooms and keep having fun until dawn.

Man I remember (or had many of the blanks filled in for me) some of our parties. They were insane for sure. Some hotels would not allow us back !!

 

[Mr. 7]

I'm too new to know any of this. So sad.
I have worked for companies, in the past, that would throw such events, those are employers I'd go to war for.

 

[overflowed]

I'm too new to know any of this. So sad.
I have worked for companies, in the past, that would throw such events, those are employers I'd go to war for.

Me too, but damn have I heard the stories. Not even that long ago either. Now all we get are cakes from Costco.

 

[IVE GOTTA PACKAGE 4U]

no parties 4 us!!!!!!!

 

[MrFedEx]

no parties 4 us!!!!!!!

Yeah, but you actually get paid a decent wage. Fred can shove his pizza, hot dogs, and burgers straight up his ass. I want more money.

 

[CJinx]

These companies realized that they don't need to pamper unskilled labor.

 

[Mr. 7]

I wouldn't call it pampering, I'd call it a form of appreciation.

 

[packageguy]

​called corporate greed, answer to shareholders not the working man...

 

[Goldilocks]

These companies realized that they don't need to pamper unskilled labor.

HUH? We have been very skilled for many years. Including, DG, INTERNATIONAL TRAINING, Plus everything else. Training? You name it, we have it.....We have been trained the purple way. lol.............

 

[MrFedEx]

These companies realized that they don't need to pamper unskilled labor.

They think we're unskilled labor until they have to find someone to replace us...easier said than done. It's really hard to hire someone off the street, stick them on a high SPH route, and expect success.

 

[vantexan]

They think we're unskilled labor until they have to find someone to replace us...easier said than done. It's really hard to hire someone off the street, stick them on a high SPH route, and expect success.

Everyone knows we're the highest paid in the industry. We make $90k a year to walk a letter into an office for a signature. We get 3 months of vacation, monthly bonuses, free concert tickets, and $5k a month pensions at 50 with company paid healthcare the rest of our life. Some people we run into act really resentful because they know we've hit the job lottery. Why would we ever want a union?

 

[overflowed]

Everyone knows we're the highest paid in the industry. We make $90k a year to walk a letter into an office for a signature. We get 3 months of vacation, monthly bonuses, free concert tickets, and $5k a month pensions at 50 with company paid healthcare the rest of our life. Some people we run into act really resentful because they know we've hit the job lottery. Why would we ever want a union?

They want the public to keep thinking that. "Wow, nice Mercedes van!"

 

[DontThrowPackages]

I'll bet the next move will be a cap on vacation time. I predict a 2 week max for life for all new hires, once they run it through legal. If they can limit the 'Top of Pay" to a small percentage of employees nationwide then they can make a vacation cap work also.

 

[CJinx]

They think we're unskilled labor until they have to find someone to replace us...easier said than done. It's really hard to hire someone off the street, stick them on a high SPH route, and expect success.

They aren't expecting the success that comes from an experienced courier, but the computer will plot a fairly efficient route for anyone to follow and have moderate success. Nobody had to spend years in college to drive a delivery truck. Hell, I know a few who I'll wager never even graduated high school.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

They aren't expecting the success that comes from an experienced courier, but the computer will plot a fairly efficient route for anyone to follow and have moderate success. Nobody had to spend years in college to drive a delivery truck. Hell, I know a few who I'll wager never even graduated high school.

I could hand my DIAD to any employee in my bldg and they would be able to follow EDD and get through the route. No, the numbers would not be there, but the packages would be delivered and picked up. MFE makes it sound like delivering packages is a highly technical skill when it really isn't.

 

[vantexan]

I could hand my DIAD to any employee in my bldg and they would be able to follow EDD and get through the route. No, the numbers would not be there, but the packages would be delivered and picked up. MFE makes it sound like delivering packages is a highly technical skill when it really isn't.

Express couriers also load trucks on a sort. There was a time when we knew which rt many of the packages coming down the belt went to besides our own rt and the neighbor's rt we were pulling. Plus we had to run our rts in such a way as to meet various time commitments throughout the day. We had to know various requirements for international shipping as well as be able to properly identify haz shipments and be able to transport it safely. We were driving the 700's and 900's back then too. Much of that freight has gone to Ground, FedEx has simplified many of the rules and procedures, and most of us now drive Sprinters or smaller vans delivering Amazon and Verizon. So it may not be the more technical job it once was but FedEx still structures rts to get the most productivity possible and some Express couriers really hump. It's why I take extended rts which are based on miles, not stops. Much easier on me. When I arrived at my last station found that my mgr lied to get me there and he felt he could treat me like a newhire. Had me unload containers every morning, run a heavy rt in a 700, 85-95 stops over 130-150 miles, lunch at 1700, work the reload and was the designated vehicle parker. 0745-1930+ for 5 days a week. Had to fight him to get into a better rt there as I was his slave. It may not be the most technical job anymore but don't think couriers don't earn their money. I can't get decent pay after 14 years but at least I have a much better situation now(and that mgr got fired about a month after I transferred).

 

[MrFedEx]

I could hand my DIAD to any employee in my bldg and they would be able to follow EDD and get through the route. No, the numbers would not be there, but the packages would be delivered and picked up. MFE makes it sound like delivering packages is a highly technical skill when it really isn't.

Delivering the package isn't a highly technical skill, but as you pointed-out, the numbers wouldn't be there, and that's where the profit is. The "skill" applies to judgement,time-management skills, and being an expert driver. UPS doesn't have on-calls like we do either, so you don't do half the juggling an Express courier does...that's the skill part. Until you have the same kind of pickups we do, you don't have an understanding of the requirements to perform the job effectively.

 

[Mr. 7]

UPS doesn't have on-calls like we do

They don't?
Dave?

 

[DontThrowPackages]

And by the way some stockbrokers handle you money one can say they need not years in college either. Point is, not every college grad or post grad could deliver in the manner of whats expected here.