White-collar jobless join FedEx, UPS for holidays

[cheryl]

White-collar jobless join FedEx, UPS for holidays - Yahoo

Ed Gullo never thought he'd be on this side of a package delivery.

Gullo, 61, of Newburgh, N.Y., is driving a truck for FedEx during the holiday shipping rush that started after Thanksgiving. Gullo is no veteran truck driver. He's a news writer with experience at ABC and CNN, who found gigs hard to come by in the weak economy.

FedEx and UPS, the world's two largest package delivery companies, hire thousands of extra workers every holiday season, usually college students and 20-somethings. This year, the unemployment rate is at 10 percent and many experienced professionals are looking for work. A lot more people came to job fairs wearing a coat and tie, said UPS spokesman Norman Black.

 

[upsgrunt]

I always remember Norman Black's quote from 1997:
"They weren't anybody until we hired them; now they think they are somebody."

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

I would love to talk to these "white collar" folks before and after Peak to see how their perspective may have changed. I'm sure a lot of them came in thinking it would be no big deal.

 

[Catatonic]

I would love to talk to these "white collar" folks before and after Peak to see how their perspective may have changed. I'm sure a lot of them came in thinking it would be no big deal.

It always impresses me how many of these white-collared workers outside of UPS worked as a driver helper or inside P/T job at UPS.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

It always impresses me how many of these white-collared workers outside of UPS worked as a driver helper or inside P/T job at UPS.

I would imagine these workers have a sense of urgency, above average analytical ability and strong organizational skills and are highly regarded by their employers and loathed by their co-workers.