The Amazon Saturday Snafu

[MrFedEx]

Anyone else out there sign-up for today (Saturday) to work the Amazon freight and then have them try and screw you out of any hours? At my station, there was a volunteer list, and they were scheduled, only to have management try and call them off at the last minute because Amazon volumes were about half what was expected.

This wasn't an on-call deal. People changed plans in order to work, and then FedEx changes it's mind? "FedEx Cares". Not one effing bit.

Please tell me again why we don't need a union to deal with a company that pulls this kind of crap over and over? How many times do you have to get the shaft in order to recognize the games they play?

If you are FT, all you needed to do was go in and punch the clock to get 4 hours. 2 hours if you are PT. Don't be stupid and let them do this to you. We are completely disposable, and at their mercy.....only if you let them.

Like Mr. 7, I came in, said I had been scheduled to work, and that I was going to work, and that they were going to pay me even if I sat on my butt in the breakroom. I got well over 6 hours.

 

[bbsam]

Sounds to me like you got your way without having to grieve it through the union process. I think that's a better way. Nice to see folks grow a pair every now and then.

 

[LTFedExer]

Nobody in my station was scheduled to work. It was all voluntary. Beats me what happened, because I wasn't there.

 

[Myort]

One morning as I was ready to head out the door, I noticed I had a voice mail. When I listened to it, it was the station telling me to come into work quite a bit later than I was scheduled, due to late flight/truck. I showed up at my normal start time that day, telling them I didn't see the message.

 

[LTFedExer]

There is/was a lawsuit in California regarding the 'snowline' and modified start times. I was interviewed by a FedEx lawyer a couple of years ago. Not sure what ever came of it.

P.S. Is California THAT bad? Just about every policy change since I started was due to a CA lawsuit.

 

[10-27]

At our station they were trying to send people home after we showed up to work before we punched in. A fewed people caved in , but some of us just told them they best find something for us to do. They did.

 

[Myort]

There is/was a lawsuit in California regarding the 'snowline' and modified start times. I was interviewed by a FedEx lawyer a couple of years ago. Not sure what ever came of it.

P.S. Is California THAT bad? Just about every policy change since I started was due to a CA lawsuit.

Our station was told last year that the 'snowline' is optional now, and was always suppossed to be. Many people were ticked when told that. We have been told we can show up late, or when we come in we need to clean trucks or something else like that.

 

[Cactus]

Sounds to me like you got your way without having to grieve it through the union process. I think that's a better way. Nice to see folks grow a pair every now and then.

If there was a union, the whole issue most likely wouldn't have even come up. I think that's a better way.

Your move Sam.

 

[MrFedEx]

Our station was told last year that the 'snowline' is optional now, and was always suppossed to be. Many people were ticked when told that. We have been told we can show up late, or when we come in we need to clean trucks or something else like that.

Funny how you were never told that the "snowline" was optional. How convenient for FedEx. Perhaps another lawsuit is in order to receice back pay for hours not worked due to intentionally deceptive practices. Like Cactus said, if we had a union, none of these games would be happening.

 

[Mr. 7]

MFE,
I'm pro union 100% but, you're confusing me when you posted this in another thread...

This is how I see it. The Teamsters are a pile of crap 6 inches high. Fred is a pile of crap that's 6 miles high. If I have to shovel one pile or the other, I choose the IBT.

Are you pro union or, not? I think we'd have everything to gain and nothing to lose if we were union.

 

[Mr. 7]

Another general question to the forum.
Who knows exactly what the rules/laws are regarding calling scheduled employees to tell them either to start later or not come in at all? One of my guys is a former ops. mgr. and he mentioned that FDX thinks as long as you notify the employee of a start time change at least one hr. before scheduled clock in that FDX is off the hook.

 

[FedEx2000]

So from what I have read here, some people feel that it's ok to screw the company by saying they didn't get the message or that you should be able to come in to work and do nothing while getting paid for it.....but it's not ok for FedEx to have you call in to see if the freight is going to be late due to weather etc....and give you the option of coming in later? If you want to come in at your regular time and work, fine, but don't expect to sit in the break room sipping coffee and getting paid for it. Employees can call in sick up to an hour prior to their start time, forcing mgmt to cover a route at the last minute....this is no different, people just don't like it when it affects them. It's an uncontrollable part of our business that we have delayed flight/trucks due to weather/mx issues...you can't plan for that ahead of time.

As far as the Amazon volumes go, we were told by Amazon that they were shipping approx. 110k pcs for SDR delivery, I havn't seen the final number as of yet, but we have to plan based on the information we are given. We took volunteers only, didn't mandate anyone to work that didn't want to. Also, in reference to the code 43 issue that was mentioned in another thread, we use it all the time, unfortunately, 3 times this past week. And I believe it was Quadro that said it correctly when he mentioned that it does not save any AM sort hours, still rolls up in to that, just a way to track time lost due to waiting.

 

[quadro]

If there was a union, the whole issue most likely wouldn't have even come up. I think that's a better way.

Your move Sam.

Because issues don't come up with a union??? Is that what you are implying???

 

[quadro]

Another general question to the forum.
Who knows exactly what the rules/laws are regarding calling scheduled employees to tell them either to start later or not come in at all? One of my guys is a former ops. mgr. and he mentioned that FDX thinks as long as you notify the employee of a start time change at least one hr. before scheduled clock in that FDX is off the hook.

I don't believe that's correct. They can give you the option of coming in or staying home. I think a schedule change has to occur at least the day before.

 

[MrFedEx]

MFE,
I'm pro union 100% but, you're confusing me when you posted this in another thread...
Are you pro union or, not? I think we'd have everything to gain and nothing to lose if we were union.

Pro-union, but holding my nose while I sign my card. I have no great admiration for the Teamsters. I have less for Fred.

 

[MrFedEx]

So from what I have read here, some people feel that it's ok to screw the company by saying they didn't get the message or that you should be able to come in to work and do nothing while getting paid for it.....but it's not ok for FedEx to have you call in to see if the freight is going to be late due to weather etc....and give you the option of coming in later? If you want to come in at your regular time and work, fine, but don't expect to sit in the break room sipping coffee and getting paid for it. Employees can call in sick up to an hour prior to their start time, forcing mgmt to cover a route at the last minute....this is no different, people just don't like it when it affects them. It's an uncontrollable part of our business that we have delayed flight/trucks due to weather/mx issues...you can't plan for that ahead of time.

As far as the Amazon volumes go, we were told by Amazon that they were shipping approx. 110k pcs for SDR delivery, I havn't seen the final number as of yet, but we have to plan based on the information we are given. We took volunteers only, didn't mandate anyone to work that didn't want to. Also, in reference to the code 43 issue that was mentioned in another thread, we use it all the time, unfortunately, 3 times this past week. And I believe it was Quadro that said it correctly when he mentioned that it does not save any AM sort hours, still rolls up in to that, just a way to track time lost due to waiting.

The "uncontrollable" part of the business isn't my problem, and it's just too bad for FedEx that they can't plan for it 100% of the time. If they schedule me to work, I have modified my life accordingly to accomodate FedEx, and I should be paid when I show-up expecting to work. If I have been scheduled, that's also just too bad if they try and call me off at the last minute. If they want to have a recorder, they can pay me to be "on-call", but as always, it's on their terms, and structured in a manner that saves the company money at the expense of the employee.

Most of the stations in my district got 50% of the Amazon volume expected. Again, too damn bad for FedEx if the engineers miscalculated. I plan my outside life around how I am scheduled at work, and we were all scheduled yesterday...off of a volunteer list. My point on Code 43 is that they'd much prefer to get you to take an early break or extended break instead of getting paid under a 43. Once more, it's not my problem that the freight is late. My time is valuable, and I expect to be paid for it, even if I am sitting on my ass in the breakroom.

As they say, "Poor planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part". Pay-up, Fred.

 

[FedEx2000]

The "uncontrollable" part of the business isn't my problem, and it's just too bad for FedEx that they can't plan for it 100% of the time. If they schedule me to work, I have modified my life accordingly to accomodate FedEx, and I should be paid when I show-up expecting to work. If I have been scheduled, that's also just too bad if they try and call me off at the last minute. If they want to have a recorder, they can pay me to be "on-call", but as always, it's on their terms, and structured in a manner that saves the company money at the expense of the employee.

Most of the stations in my district got 50% of the Amazon volume expected. Again, too damn bad for FedEx if the engineers miscalculated. I plan my outside life around how I am scheduled at work, and we were all scheduled yesterday...off of a volunteer list. My point on Code 43 is that they'd much prefer to get you to take an early break or extended break instead of getting paid under a 43. Once more, it's not my problem that the freight is late. My time is valuable, and I expect to be paid for it, even if I am sitting on my ass in the breakroom.

As they say, "Poor planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part". Pay-up, Fred.

That's all easy to say when you aren't the one who has to try to plan it. The FedEx engineers had nothing to do with it, it was based on what Amazon told us, nothing we can do when we are given bad numbers except try to adjust on the fly. As long as you get yours, screw everyone else. BTW, one of the interview questions when you apply here is "Start and end times may vary due to variables in our business. Is your schedule flexible enough to accommodate this." Since you are employed here, I assume you answered "Yes" to this question.

 

[MrFedEx]

That's all easy to say when you aren't the one who has to try to plan it. The FedEx engineers had nothing to do with it, it was based on what Amazon told us, nothing we can do when we are given bad numbers except try to adjust on the fly. As long as you get yours, screw everyone else. BTW, one of the interview questions when you apply here is "Start and end times may vary due to variables in our business. Is your schedule flexible enough to accommodate this." Since you are employed here, I assume you answered "Yes" to this question.

I'll repeat it for you. Management's failures are not my issue, and it isn't my responsibility to adjust my income "on the fly". If I'm scheduled, work me. I could easily turn your statement around to say that "As long as FedEx gets theirs, screw everyone else". If your numbers are bad, it's on you...not me. I'm just trying to make a living.

You used to sound reasonable in your posts, but now you're starting to sound like just another management suck-up. Try looking at it from the perspective of the hourly who expects to work, puts their life on hold, and then has to take it in the butt for the good of the company bottom-line. Having an open-ended statement about "variables in our business" doesn't cut-it. Every business has variables, but they don't expect their employees to have the flexibility of Gumby and cut their own throats in terms of pay. You don't get it...at all.

 

[FedExer267]

Why would anyone be loyal to a company that slashed their benefits, took away their traditional penison, and slowed raises to a snails pace. You say screw FedEx as long as I get mine. It sounds to me like FedEx started the screwing and now their whining cuz employees aren't going to take it.
Last I checked if your scheduled to work and you volunteer to go home you dont get paid but if you say no and they send you home you have to pay what 2 hours for PT and 4 for FT thats just a cost of doing business.

 

[vantexan]

Why would anyone be loyal to a company that slashed their benefits, took away their traditional penison, and slowed raises to a snails pace. You say screw FedEx as long as I get mine. It sounds to me like FedEx started the screwing and now their whining cuz employees aren't going to take it.
Last I checked if your scheduled to work and you volunteer to go home you dont get paid but if you say no and they send you home you have to pay what 2 hours for PT and 4 for FT thats just a cost of doing business.

Absolutely. Some here try to downplay our jobs as being entry level and thus really aren't worth more than what we are getting. But here's where we earn our money. Flexibility. Never knowing day to day what exactly will happen. Freight can be late, it can be heavier than normal, thus requiring to be flexible with our off hours plans. We're out in all kinds of weather, we can suddenly be dumped on when a part-timer calls in sick on his pickup rt. The list goes on and on. Apparently we're not getting a day off for Christmas since it's on Saturday this year. And some of us most likely will have to work Christmas Day if necessary. We're expected over and over to give and give. All we're asking in exchange is adequate compensation for the giving, the sacrifices, the flexibility.