My experience thus far

FED UPs

Member
I have been working for Fed Ex Express for about 7 mths now and from my experience I can tell you the following.

(1) Every Fed Ex experience is not outstanding.
(2) PSP " People Service Profit", Is BULL SH**!!!. Its more like "Profit Service People"
(3) There is a big difference between a boss and a leader and too few know the difference
(4) I am amazed at how just about everyone that I work with is against Union work. But bitch about favortism,not enough $$$, working conditions,warnings,hours......
(5) Fed Ex Express boasts about never laying anyone off.. This is probably because they cant keep anyone long enough.
(6) STOP HIRING FAT WOMEN!!! AND DOPEHEADS!!!!!
(7) Its seems to be the case atleast at my location that if your mommy or daddy works for fed ex and you get hired you most likely will be treated better and given more opportunity to advance quicker.
(8) There is no Team effort whatsoever! Everyone is for themself. Its like the outside guys offloading the planes vs The inside guys. And everyone talking crap about one another.
(9) You are not rewarded for your consistent hard work. Ive seen guys that just start that cant... lets say unload the trailors and its like no problem at all, just go to the slides and scan packages all day and make the same amount of money per hr. as the guy now stuck unloading the trailors and cans all night.
(10) I am grateful to have a job but I could care less for the clueless management and lazy employees.
 

Ricochet1a

Well-Known Member
I have been working for Fed Ex Express for about 7 mths now and form my experience I can tell you the following.

(1) Every Fed Ex experience is not outstanding.
(2) PSP " People Service Profit", Is BULL SH**!!!. Its more like "Profit Service People"
(3) There is a big difference between a boss and a leader and too few know the difference
(4) I am amazed at how just about everyone that I work with is against Union work. But bitch about favortism,not enough $$$, working conditions,warnings,hours......
(5) Fed Ex Express boasts about never laying anyone off.. This is probably because they cant keep anyone long enough.
(6) STOP HIRING FAT WOMEN!!! AND DOPEHEADS!!!!!
(7) Its seems to be the case atleast at my location that if your mommy or daddy works for fed ex and you get hired you most likely will be treated better and given more opportunity to advance quicker.
(8) There is no Team effort whatsoever! Everyone is for themself. Its like the outside guys offloading the planes vs The inside guys. And everyone talking crap about one another.
(9) You are not rewarded for your consistent hard work. Ive seen guys that just start that cant... lets say unload the trailors and its like no problem at all, just go to the slides and scan packages all day and make the same amount of money per hr. as the guy now stuck unloading the trailors and cans all night.
(10) I am grateful to have a job but I could care less for the clueless management and lazy employees.

Just had to respond to this, still laughing...

1) The "outstanding" FedEx experiences are now the exception rather than the norm.

2) PSP has for a long time been inverted into Profit, Service, then People. I wrote a post a few weeks back using the mailed propaganda that came out to Express employees. Express has now very clearly stated that PSP is not a "linear" philosophy (one thing first, then the other), but rather a circular philosophy. When Fred deems it necessary to move either profit or service ahead of the employees, he will do so. The employees haven't been at the front of the management equation for quite awhile.

3) Leadership is something clearly lacking at Express. The reason for this is that individual initiative isn't looked upon favorably, only conformity to Memphis mandated directives. The quality of new operational level management has deciined markedly in the past 5 or so years. Station and ramp management that has been around for more than 10 years know damn good and well what is going on, but they keep on doing what they are told, to have a job themselves. Most of the good people (management) that didn't want to get out of Express have moved into non-managerial salaried positions to maintain employment. In a couple of years when the job market improves, they'll be leaving.

Most Express employees work despite the presence of their station/ramp management, NOT due to their presence. It is well known that things tend to go smoother when station/ramp management ISN'T present, rather than present - speaks volumes to their actual effectiveness.

4) This is a phenomenon that I ran into in my last couple of years with Express. All bitch and moan about the low compensation and working conditions, but when the issue of unionizaiton comes up, they clam up and act as if you have horns on your head and try to get as much distance as possible between themselves and you. There are plenty of Express employees which post here about the conditions which I'm absolutely confident that haven't signed union representation cards. I'll have another post regarding this issue probably next week.

5) In the stations, there is a clear "gap" developing between the mid-range Couriers and new hires. Hardly any Couriers stay beyond 3 years of service now. With all the games to wage progression that have occured in the past 3 years, a Courier with 4 or less years is getting paid only pennies an hour more than a new hire off the street. They know there is no future in a company with this compensation policy, so they real motivated to find other work ASAP. As long as Express can find other warm bodies to fill the positons, they don't care - it is all about maximizing productivity and intimidating those who are creating that productivity into keeping their mouths shut.

6) Not going to really touch this one... except that I don't have any reason to believe that Express has stopped drug testing of new hires. When I was in AGFS, there were plenty of "colorful" characters around doing the work. Express had no choice but to hire people that they wouldn't dream of allowing customer contact with - in order to get the ramp work done. The wages for non-ramp agents were just too damn low to get in a more "customer friendly" type of individual. Between the hard physical work and low wages, Express is doing good to maintain functional workgroups -just how Memphis wants it, minimal expendature to get the job accomplished. If the job isn't accomplished, hang the manager who's work group failed to come through.

7) It was my experience that Express was a "family affair". Express maintained/s a strict policy of NOT having family members report directly to another family member in management - however, as long as there is no direct reporting, there are many cases of managers with spouses working as wage employees in other locations, extended families (father, sons, cousins), working in various work groups in an operating location or nearby stations.

The only time issues developed is when senior management had their children working within the same district. This created problems. The "child" would clearly identify themselves to their co-workers as being so and so's son, and instantly create the impression of favoritism. In many cases, this was indeed the case, the child of a senior manager would indeed receive special treatment from their immediate manager (senior manager in one location, the child working in a workgroup in another location) - for the obvious reason that the ops manager didn't want junior running to their senior manager parent and talking trash about them - which would come back on them.

Express should extend its policy to state that senior managers or above cannot have an immediate family member working within the district that the senior (or above) manager is located within. This would solve most of the real issues that develop.

8) Team effort is talked about a lot, but those who have survived long enough under the Express disciplinary system know to CYA at all times. The process of loading or unloading an aircraft obviously is a "team effort", but it was my experience that the non-ramp agents merely did what they were told and nothing else. They had no incentive to go out of their way to take a "risk".

As far as "outside" vs. "inside" - that has been around for about as long as there has been a differentiation between sort and aircraft workgroups. Virtually everyone who works "outside" with the aircraft started on the "inside" working the sort - they survived long enough to move outside making an additonal 50 cents an hour and not spend a few hours in mind numbing and back straining package handling. Part of the "survival" mentality for those working the aircraft is to talk trash about those on the sorts. It doesn't make the job of those on the sorts any easier - to the contrary, it directly contributes to the high turnover rates of ramp sort workgroups. There is nothing that has been, and nothing that will be done about it - AGFS is survival of either the fittest or most desperate (depending on why the individual is there).

9) This is something which drove me nuts while in AGFS. Management would hire someone to do a job, but when they consistently screwed it up, directed that the screw up be moved to a position where they couldn't screw up. People aren't dumb, and they would deliberately screw up to get a less strenuous work assignment. Well, I made sure that screw ups were directed to download containers or work the lowers in the aircraft. Management had their hands tied as far as sending home employees which were chronic screwups, but they weren't blind either. Enough screwups, they were handed the 1-2-3 Warning Letters and more often than not quit of their own accord prior to geting fired. It still makes the work for everyone else around them more difficult.

10) Express is merely a job now, NOT a career. Management is looking out for their pitiful careers and those who have been around for more than a year or so know how the game is played. Clock in, do your job, don't screw up, clock out. When you find something else that has career progression possibilites, move on.
 

FED UPs

Member
Just had to respond to this, still laughing...

1) The "outstanding" FedEx experiences are now the exception rather than the norm.

2) PSP has for a long time been inverted into Profit, Service, then People. I wrote a post a few weeks back using the mailed propaganda that came out to Express employees. Express has now very clearly stated that PSP is not a "linear" philosophy (one thing first, then the other), but rather a circular philosophy. When Fred deems it necessary to move either profit or service ahead of the employees, he will do so. The employees haven't been at the front of the management equation for quite awhile.

3) Leadership is something clearly lacking at Express. The reason for this is that individual initiative isn't looked upon favorably, only conformity to Memphis mandated directives. The quality of new operational level management has deciined markedly in the past 5 or so years. Station and ramp management that has been around for more than 10 years know damn good and well what is going on, but they keep on doing what they are told, to have a job themselves. Most of the good people (management) that didn't want to get out of Express have moved into non-managerial salaried positions to maintain employment. In a couple of years when the job market improves, they'll be leaving.

Most Express employees work despite the presence of their station/ramp management, NOT due to their presence. It is well known that things tend to go smoother when station/ramp management ISN'T present, rather than present - speaks volumes to their actual effectiveness.

4) This is a phenomenon that I ran into in my last couple of years with Express. All bitch and moan about the low compensation and working conditions, but when the issue of unionizaiton comes up, they clam up and act as if you have horns on your head and try to get as much distance as possible between themselves and you. There are plenty of Express employees which post here about the conditions which I'm absolutely confident that haven't signed union representation cards. I'll have another post regarding this issue probably next week.

5) In the stations, there is a clear "gap" developing between the mid-range Couriers and new hires. Hardly any Couriers stay beyond 3 years of service now. With all the games to wage progression that have occured in the past 3 years, a Courier with 4 or less years is getting paid only pennies an hour more than a new hire off the street. They know there is no future in a company with this compensation policy, so they real motivated to find other work ASAP. As long as Express can find other warm bodies to fill the positons, they don't care - it is all about maximizing productivity and intimidating those who are creating that productivity into keeping their mouths shut.

6) Not going to really touch this one... except that I don't have any reason to believe that Express has stopped drug testing of new hires. When I was in AGFS, there were plenty of "colorful" characters around doing the work. Express had no choice but to hire people that they wouldn't dream of allowing customer contact with - in order to get the ramp work done. The wages for non-ramp agents were just too damn low to get in a more "customer friendly" type of individual. Between the hard physical work and low wages, Express is doing good to maintain functional workgroups -just how Memphis wants it, minimal expendature to get the job accomplished. If the job isn't accomplished, hang the manager who's work group failed to come through.

7) It was my experience that Express was a "family affair". Express maintained/s a strict policy of NOT having family members report directly to another family member in management - however, as long as there is no direct reporting, there are many cases of managers with spouses working as wage employees in other locations, extended families (father, sons, cousins), working in various work groups in an operating location or nearby stations.

The only time issues developed is when senior management had their children working within the same district. This created problems. The "child" would clearly identify themselves to their co-workers as being so and so's son, and instantly create the impression of favoritism. In many cases, this was indeed the case, the child of a senior manager would indeed receive special treatment from their immediate manager (senior manager in one location, the child working in a workgroup in another location) - for the obvious reason that the ops manager didn't want junior running to their senior manager parent and talking trash about them - which would come back on them.

Express should extend its policy to state that senior managers or above cannot have an immediate family member working within the district that the senior (or above) manager is located within. This would solve most of the real issues that develop.

8) Team effort is talked about a lot, but those who have survived long enough under the Express disciplinary system know to CYA at all times. The process of loading or unloading an aircraft obviously is a "team effort", but it was my experience that the non-ramp agents merely did what they were told and nothing else. They had no incentive to go out of their way to take a "risk".

As far as "outside" vs. "inside" - that has been around for about as long as there has been a differentiation between sort and aircraft workgroups. Virtually everyone who works "outside" with the aircraft started on the "inside" working the sort - they survived long enough to move outside making an additonal 50 cents an hour and not spend a few hours in mind numbing and back straining package handling. Part of the "survival" mentality for those working the aircraft is to talk trash about those on the sorts. It doesn't make the job of those on the sorts any easier - to the contrary, it directly contributes to the high turnover rates of ramp sort workgroups. There is nothing that has been, and nothing that will be done about it - AGFS is survival of either the fittest or most desperate (depending on why the individual is there).

9) This is something which drove me nuts while in AGFS. Management would hire someone to do a job, but when they consistently screwed it up, directed that the screw up be moved to a position where they couldn't screw up. People aren't dumb, and they would deliberately screw up to get a less strenuous work assignment. Well, I made sure that screw ups were directed to download containers or work the lowers in the aircraft. Management had their hands tied as far as sending home employees which were chronic screwups, but they weren't blind either. Enough screwups, they were handed the 1-2-3 Warning Letters and more often than not quit of their own accord prior to geting fired. It still makes the work for everyone else around them more difficult.

10) Express is merely a job now, NOT a career. Management is looking out for their pitiful careers and those who have been around for more than a year or so know how the game is played. Clock in, do your job, don't screw up, clock out. When you find something else that has career progression possibilites, move on.
 

FED UPs

Member
@ Ricochet1A, Well said, I would like to see your response to #10 changed to this... Clock in, Do YOUR job and if you cant do your job..well then your screwed...Now clock out and go find something else.
 

FED UPs

Member
@ FEDEX 4 LIFE, Ive been trying for awhile now. Im not sure how much better it is as far as treatment goes but I do know there turnover rate is lower than express due to the fact that there is more opportunity and you get paid a fair days wage for a fair days work.
 

LTFedExer

Well-Known Member
@ FEDEX 4 LIFE, Ive been trying for awhile now. Im not sure how much better it is as far as treatment goes but I do know there turnover rate is lower than express due to the fact that there is more opportunity and you get paid a fair days wage for a fair days work.
Please elaborate how much more opportunity there is. Actually, I'd like to hear from a UPS courier if there is 'much more opportunity'.
 

FED UPs

Member
The best and simplest way I know how to answer your question is this and maybe im wrong about UPS having more opportunities but for me its about the "Union", do the purple zombies think union is the way to go? Not too many...I spoke with a courier about 3mths ago and he said what do you need a union for?.. My response was I hope you never have to find out. I know You have strength in numbers with union,you have bargaining power. As an individual you have little or no influence.Unions have prefossional negotiators,advocates and millions of members in your corner. Without a union your employer can change policies and working conditions whenever they feel like it. With a Union you get a contract without a contract. Your union contract rights cannot be altered at your employers whim. If you are fired,reprimanded,suspended without just cause you have the union to go up to bat for you.I believe more Respect and Fairness is present in union work. Joining a union means job security. When crunch time comes Unions usually can make sure that the experienced and committed workers are protected first. Like I said earlier I work for Express and I am greatful to be workin and have had no trouble so far but If I ever got the chance to do the same job and be in the union well.... If you read any of this I would hope you could comprehend that this is what i meant by "more opportunity" and Id take it and hit the ground running.
 

HomeDelivery

Well-Known Member
good for you, now keep on applying to the Brown Corp! update this thread when you do cross over to the other side... you already know it's greener on the other side

from reading posts on the ups section, they're starting to be over-dispatched, but the good side is they're getting OT pay for it as well... does Express also give you OT when over-dispatched? But, at least they're still being compensated (seems more-than-fair day's pay though)

I'm currently looking for other jobs while at pseudo-FedEx; I also did apply for Express, because you guys were hourly (less paid than UPS, but still hourly > flat rate salary or per-stop salary for me). After reading a few threads about Express on here & other sites, I'm not going to follow through on this endeavor...

I'm putting my family 1st & will look for a job elsewhere. Sure, I'm glad I have the flexibility of HD, since my state is also "at-will" I can come/go as I please & vice versa...

If they won't hire me again for this Peak Season, it's their loss trying to find other "qualified drivers" to drive those simple cargo vans/ box trucks... I can only work weekends now anyways

I recall about a handful of temps being sent home last year because they were in an accident, caused property damage, etc... these temp guys are getting paid by the hour to perform their duties "by the book" If I was a manager, i'll stress safety 1st for these guys, ie. G.O.A.L. and other things weekly during the peak season

(if you're under a subcontractor, you'll know how to do "shortcuts" since it's flat rate or by the stop)
 
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