There is no Top-Out Anymore

[FedEx2000]

To me, this begs the question that many of the FedEx employees are asking here. If the job is so important and vital that the worker is difficult to replace, why doesn't FedEx pay them more? If it is not that difficult and vital, why aren't replacements trained and ready to go when employees do (and surely all do eventualy) call in?

Well Charley, haven't seen you post before, so I'll let you know that I have posted many times on here that I agree that hourly employees, especially couriers, should be paid more. Unfortunately I have no control over that decision. I'm not sure my feelings are necessarily that of Corp., but I would much rather pay a little more than hire/train new people. As far as having people trained and ready to go when/just in case people call in....well I'll let MFE explain the whole working on FedEx's terms to you. Would you be willing to sit by the phone all day in case someone calls in sick? Not to mention, those employees would need to be swings b/c you don't know who/what route it's going to be until it happens....not so simple to just have people to sit around on standby just in case.

 

[MrFedEx]

Well Charley, haven't seen you post before, so I'll let you know that I have posted many times on here that I agree that hourly employees, especially couriers, should be paid more. Unfortunately I have no control over that decision. I'm not sure my feelings are necessarily that of Corp., but I would much rather pay a little more than hire/train new people. As far as having people trained and ready to go when/just in case people call in....well I'll let MFE explain the whole working on FedEx's terms to you. Would you be willing to sit by the phone all day in case someone calls in sick? Not to mention, those employees would need to be swings b/c you don't know who/what route it's going to be until it happens....not so simple to just have people to sit around on standby just in case.

Working for FedEx means always working on the company's terms. If people call-in sick, the usual remedy is to collapse the surrounding routes if nobody is available. Sometimes, management does this anyway, even when a body is available, to cut costs. They know that a lot of couriers will fake a lunch, cut corners on safety, or drive like Mario Andretti to get the job done. Sometimes managers are forced to do a route, which is Hell for them because they get to play courier AND deal with all of their management duties. This happens anyway when there are too many couriers over hours, so the manager takes one for the team, and the senior makes goal.

It's all about the numbers. If your numbers are right, you can be Genghis Khan, and nobody in upper management will say a thing. If they're not, better start planning for your next job.

 

[Cactus]

Hey, I wasn't trying to be a smart* just saying that maybe he should try something different b/c the status quo doesn't seem to be cutting it. You have a better suggestion?

Well hasn't anyone in management ever given the thought that all the stress that's related to this job actually make some people sick or sicker? When one's pushed day in and day out like a typical courier, it's gonna start taking it toll on a person's health sooner or later. Some will handle it better than others.

Instances where the whole ranks are penalized because a few people abuse the system is grossly unfair. Remember when we had no cap on sick days years ago and a few people ruined it for the rest of us? Those employees should have been dealt with one on one instead. That kind of discipline belongs in grade schools.

 

[CharleyHustle]

Well Charley, haven't seen you post before, so I'll let you know that I have posted many times on here that I agree that hourly employees, especially couriers, should be paid more. Unfortunately I have no control over that decision. I'm not sure my feelings are necessarily that of Corp., but I would much rather pay a little more than hire/train new people. As far as having people trained and ready to go when/just in case people call in....well I'll let MFE explain the whole working on FedEx's terms to you. Would you be willing to sit by the phone all day in case someone calls in sick? Not to mention, those employees would need to be swings b/c you don't know who/what route it's going to be until it happens....not so simple to just have people to sit around on standby just in case.

Hey I'm not trying to be trite or cute or funny, but now your saying that on top of what a royal pain in the keister it is when one of your minons calls in sick, now they don't come close to making enough money to justify what they do. Remember before you reply, that you suggested I get any pertinant info on how FedEx handles callins from MFE, which seems backwards. You're the one in managment, right? Every business endever, from mom and pop to General Motors and Walmart, have some plan when employees call in sick. I'm sure FedEx has a plan, so far it sounds like their plan is to have the managers piss and moan to the hired help on a message board about how tough it is to manage when employees call in. I guess if it is too tough, McDonalds is hiring.

 

[MrFedEx]

Answer to both questions, Fred's too cheap.

CharleyHustle, that would be my answer too. Fred doesn't give a rat's behind about us. We're totally expendable, throwaway employees. You only matter if you're in management or a pilot. Smart companies recognize the value of frontline employees and compensate them accordingly. Fred has an IQ of about 5 in that regard because his "people" philosophy is a hybrid that combines the worst of the Marine Corps (work as directed, even if your head gets blown-off)) and WalMart (Low wages, All The Time). An ideal employee would be an ex-Marine who could only get a job at WalMart because he didn't have the intellect to work for Home Depot.

 

[MrFedEx]

I've done bulk rts with hundreds of pkgs, I've done extended rts with a few dozen pkgs. Which do you think are easiest to have VAN compliance on? And yet I've actually heard mgrs say that the number of pkgs don't matter, that some people are going to miss vans no matter how many pkgs they have. Had a rt last year that I typically vanned 110-150. This was after being in cans until end of sort and usually last one out door and running like maniac to make 1030's. Mgr was making me do that plus SO so heavy couldn't get lunch most days until 1700 plus required to work reload and park trucks. Mgr's way of getting even for filing GFT against him. So for anyone saying mgr can't affect your job or review score you just haven't worked for some mgrs. Much easier rt now but had to fight him by going to HR to get it. Still in container though, about 2 years out of 2 years, 3.5 months.

Exactly. The more pkgs you have to scan, the higher the likelihood of missed VAN scans etc. That's just common sense, but FedEx doesn't see it that way.

 

[MrFedEx]

Do you honestly think the motivation behind lack of parking/combining station is so that more OLCC's can be issued...come on. Are all 75 employees always there at the same time.....or is that the total for AM/PM/Handlers etc? If so, yes it's unfortunate......but not much different than any company located in a downtown metro area where employees have to find their own parking on the street. The parking at my current station is far from ideal, but you make do. I mean I have to park my extremely expensive new car next to all the crappy old courier cars, I don't even have covered parking! (That was a joke, so chill!)
Also, if your station is overflowing with trucks so much that there is no room for employees to park, can you send a few my way?

The motivation, as always, is saving money. But continuing to utilize an overcrowded, outdated facility without adequate parking is ridiculous. Our management has chosen to be inflexible about the problem, and by writing people up over a situation that FedEx created, they've created a great deal of ill will and poor morale. Oh, that would be in addition to the usual reasons for low morale.

 

[Cactus]

You're the one in managment, right? Every business endever, from mom and pop to General Motors and Walmart, have some plan when employees call in sick. I'm sure FedEx has a plan, so far it sounds like their plan is to have the managers piss and moan to the hired help on a message board about how tough it is to manage when employees call in. I guess if it is too tough, McDonalds is hiring.

 

[northeast swing driver]

Hey I'm not trying to be trite or cute or funny, but now your saying that on top of what a royal pain in the keister it is when one of your minons calls in sick, now they don't come close to making enough money to justify what they do. Remember before you reply, that you suggested I get any pertinant info on how FedEx handles callins from MFE, which seems backwards. You're the one in managment, right? Every business endever, from mom and pop to General Motors and Walmart, have some plan when employees call in sick. I'm sure FedEx has a plan, so far it sounds like their plan is to have the managers piss and moan to the hired help on a message board about how tough it is to manage when employees call in. I guess if it is too tough, McDonalds is hiring.

well said

 

[bbsam]

Not speaking for Express, but when one of my drivers calls in sick, I piss and moan about it also how tough it is to manage as well. It's not about the day, however. It's to underscore to the other drivers the difficult situation it puts all of us in when any one of them calls in sick. That way if someone calls in sick tomorrow, they have a frame of reference for why I'm asking them if they can work a few hours. If not, fine. We'll split things up and get it done. Route structuring and cross training are paramount as well as good relations with other contractors, but it can be done.

 

[LTFedExer]

Here's another one for you. My station, like many others, was outgrown 10 years ago, yet FedEx stays there and does about half of the sort with vehicles that are outside. There isn't enough parking for everyone, so we get to compete with neighboring businesses for street parking, which can be over a quarter mile away. It isn't a problem if you're an early starter like a shuttle driver or FO courier, but everyone else is hosed, except for management, because they have assigned parking. Nearly every station in my district has a similar problem. Most of what used to be parking is now filled with W700's and Sprinters.

So, our facility has inadequate parking, which guarantees a lot of people who have problems getting in on-time. And there's no driving-up, dashing into the building to punch the clock, and then trying to find parking. That gets you a letter. If there's an event at the nearby sports venue, there isn't any parking at all. Think FedEx has any mercy on employees or any wiggle room on punching-in late? No way. Ding, Ding, Ding.

My 1st station didn't have a parking lot.

 

[FedEx2000]

Well hasn't anyone in management ever given the thought that all the stress that's related to this job actually make some people sick or sicker? When one's pushed day in and day out like a typical courier, it's gonna start taking it toll on a person's health sooner or later. Some will handle it better than others.

Instances where the whole ranks are penalized because a few people abuse the system is grossly unfair. Remember when we had no cap on sick days years ago and a few people ruined it for the rest of us? Those employees should have been dealt with one on one instead. That kind of discipline belongs in grade schools.

It has to be consistent across the board, at least in policy, otherwise if Johnny gets an OLCC/Letter for his 10th late and Sally doesn't, Johnny now sues FedEx for being treated unfairly. I don't disagree that the few ruined it for the many, but unfortunately that's usually how it works.

 

[FedEx2000]

Hey I'm not trying to be trite or cute or funny, but now your saying that on top of what a royal pain in the keister it is when one of your minons calls in sick, now they don't come close to making enough money to justify what they do. Remember before you reply, that you suggested I get any pertinant info on how FedEx handles callins from MFE, which seems backwards. You're the one in managment, right? Every business endever, from mom and pop to General Motors and Walmart, have some plan when employees call in sick. I'm sure FedEx has a plan, so far it sounds like their plan is to have the managers piss and moan to the hired help on a message board about how tough it is to manage when employees call in. I guess if it is too tough, McDonalds is hiring.

What does pay have to do with calling in sick? Do I think couriers should be paid more, sure....that in no way implies that calling in sick is the appropriate alternative. I always preferred the extra week of pay at the end of the year myself.
My suggestion to get that info from MFE was due to the fact that he would have disagreed with my explanation regardless of what it was, and also b/c we had discussed that in another thread. Yes, the plan is to call people who are not working to see if they are willing to come in, ask part-timers, or move swings around to cover everything.....if there are still openings, I either run the route myself or absorb it if possible. It's not like we have 10 people hanging out in the break room just in case we get a sick call. So yes, on top of correcting your timecard for the 600th time, resetting your password b/c you can't remember it, asking for that close list again, explaining that a PMX is the same as a STAT44, etc......it is kind of a pain to have to ask a swing to switch routes b/c one of his peers called in sick. Piss and moan, no, but try to explain it from a different point of view, yes. I'm not the one on here constantly complaining about my job, just trying to offer up a different view of things.....sorry if you don't like it.

What is Wal Mart's contingency plan by the way? They close a check out line and you wait longer. Sounds like a great plan to me.

 

[FedEx2000]

Exactly. The more pkgs you have to scan, the higher the likelihood of missed VAN scans etc. That's just common sense, but FedEx doesn't see it that way.

You are only looking at it from one side again. Yes it is easier to miss a VAN scan the more pkgs you have, but b/c you scan so many more pkgs you can also miss a lot more pkgs.
99/100= 99% but so is 990/1000, so the guy with more bulk can, in simple theory, miss ten times as many VAN scans.

 

[FedEx2000]

well said

Just remember that next time your manager moves you to a route you don't like b/c that person called in sick.

 

[vantexan]

You are only looking at it from one side again. Yes it is easier to miss a VAN scan the more pkgs you have, but b/c you scan so many more pkgs you can also miss a lot more pkgs.
99/100= 99% but so is 990/1000, so the guy with more bulk can, in simple theory, miss ten times as many VAN scans.

But you are much more likely to miss the 10 out of 1000. But the point is that those who only scan 35 to 50 are much more likely to rarely miss a van while the guy scanning alot of pkgs is much more likely to miss some. He's also under pressure to load much more freight and onroad has to deal with many more stops. Things aren't equal across the board. Those light count extended routes are usually run by topped out couriers. So mid-range poorly paid couriers are also expected to work harder on average. So a mid-range courier is expected to work harder for less, get smaller bonuses, and get lower review scores on average due to missed vans, etc which'll keep his pay down even longer. Nah, there's no system in place to hold people back, it's as fair as can be.

 

[vantexan]

Just remember that next time your manager moves you to a route you don't like b/c that person called in sick.

We have a poster at our station that tells us to stay home if we are sick. Are you saying we should work sick?

 

[northeast swing driver]

Just remember that next time your manager moves you to a route you don't like b/c that person called in sick.

I'm not a crybaby Dr. I have been bending over for years. A route is a route. I am a swing. I could care less what route it is.

 

[CharleyHustle]

What does pay have to do with calling in sick?

Isn't this thread about employee's pay based on how many times they call in? Sheesh!! No, I forgot It's about YOUR job "yes, on top of correcting your timecard for the 600th time, resetting your password b/c you can't remember it, asking for that close list again, explaining that a PMX is the same as a STAT44, etc......it is kind of a pain to have to ask a swing to switch routes b/c one of his peers called in sick". Once again, not trying to be a smart mouth, your posts sound like you are in over your head. FedEx pays you good money to deal with what are common occurences in EVERY work enviorment. If you don't believe me, go find a work place where no one ever calls in sick or has problems with technology or syntax or workers completing assignments, good luck.

As far as Wal-Mart's plan? I'll never wait longer in a line at Wal-Mart, because I don't shop there mostly because of the way they treat their employees. Ring a bell?

 

[FedEx2000]

But you are much more likely to miss the 10 out of 1000. But the point is that those who only scan 35 to 50 are much more likely to rarely miss a van while the guy scanning alot of pkgs is much more likely to miss some. He's also under pressure to load much more freight and onroad has to deal with many more stops. Things aren't equal across the board. Those light count extended routes are usually run by topped out couriers. So mid-range poorly paid couriers are also expected to work harder on average. So a mid-range courier is expected to work harder for less, get smaller bonuses, and get lower review scores on average due to missed vans, etc which'll keep his pay down even longer. Nah, there's no system in place to hold people back, it's as fair as can be.

I understand your point, and don't necessarily disagree. That being said, most of those topped out couriers on extended routes paid their dues on those heavy routes before they got the coveted "Retirement Route".