FedEx contractor revolt?

[bbsam]

Good luck to you Sam, IWBF and all the others stuck in this mess. 10 years ago you two trashed me on here with nonsense that I was weak and didn't have the business sense to run my operation, yadda yadda yadda. Now you are in the cross hairs of having no control of your so called business. Bacha for the most part is clueless, but, he is right that this is about control. I won't go on and on about the same arguments that have been going on here forever. It seems your ambASSador status has run its course. You mentioned about being franchisees, what is your stand alone address? Your front man Patton is being used by legal eagles to do the dirty work, helping them establish billable hours and such to line their pockets. All that is happening now was brought to the table before the settlement years ago. One state held out in the end because they knew what would be coming. Lawyers of course strong armed the settlement. They are the ones behind Patton. If you go to Vegas, my guess is there will be a paper for you to fill out about "good faith" representation. If it's Bad Breath Beth or someone else from Leonard Carder LLP walk away. If from some other firm be wary. But, there will be a legal rep there rest assured. I saw an article on this a few days ago which is why I am chiming in. I had more than one bite at the apple in my time, took the settlement monies (begrudgingly) knowing I couldn't push the legal team to do the right thing. I invested every dime and haven't looked back. Good luck to you all, but remember if Ex has to pay more for service..... they will. It just won't be to you. That would give you control, something they will never allow.

Welcome back, Indy.

Let me bring you up to speed very quickly.

I don’t remember our exact interactions. But if it is as you say, I will say right now, you were correct.

The facts now are that contractors don’t care what the company does at this point. The decision is between bankruptcy or being compensated better. That’s it. There are no other choices.

If FedEx prefers to replace several thousand contractors, that is their right. It won’t make the company better and it won’t make them more money. Maybe they go to an employee model. That’s extremely expensive as well.

Simply put, the model is broken. It can be fixed or it can be scrapped. What it can’t do is remain the same. Every contractor I know is very comfortable with this situation.

 

[bacha29]

Operations already are at an unacceptable level. And think like a Walmart executive for a minute. Maybe it’s only Black Friday. Maybe the entire weekend. How jammed does the network get for the entire month at that point? Even if only 20% of the network is affected. And this is a network that struggles to find employees to begin with.

So Mr. bacha Walmart exec, what are you thoughts? Maybe wanna move some of that freight another way? It’s August 3. Not a lot of time.

Ok. Now your Raj. How much money will you be losing when Walmart, Target, Chewy, and others start finding “more reliable” options? Can your brand prosper with the disaster everyone told you was coming and you ignored?

Do you really think this is over?

Fedex is a common public carrier. If in the unlikely event that there is a sizeable work stoppage/disruption of any size or duration at least enough to negatively impact the free flow of interstate trade and commerce Fat Freddy will simply go get a court injunction ordering an end to the action. And if in the even more unlikely event that the matter ends up in court all Fat Freddy has to do is to walk up to the judge and say two simple words.....INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR. And now that the federal courts are all stacked with hard right conservative judges rest assured they'll see it Fat Freddy's way.

 

[bbsam]

Fedex is a common public carrier. If in the unlikely event that there is a sizeable work stoppage/disruption of any size or duration at least enough to negatively impact the free flow of interstate trade and commerce Fat Freddy will simply go get a court injunction ordering an end to the action. And if in the even more unlikely event that the matter ends up in court all Fat Freddy has to do is to walk up to the judge and say two simple words.....INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR. And now that the federal courts are all stacked with hard right conservative judges rest assured they'll see it Fat Freddy's way.

And as CEO of Walmart, that’s what you’ll hang your hat on? And then all these disgruntled contractors will snap to attention and put forth 110% and the logjams will dissipate? If a federal judge ordered me back and my service levels were at say, 60%, then what would happen? Be dragged back to be told that my performance wasn’t up to par? Or would the judge allow FedEx to terminate the contract? Would I care at that point?

You sure do have a lot of faith in a company you loathe.

 

[It will be fine]

Fedex is a common public carrier. If in the unlikely event that there is a sizeable work stoppage/disruption of any size or duration at least enough to negatively impact the free flow of interstate trade and commerce Fat Freddy will simply go get a court injunction ordering an end to the action. And if in the even more unlikely event that the matter ends up in court all Fat Freddy has to do is to walk up to the judge and say two simple words.....INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR. And now that the federal courts are all stacked with hard right conservative judges rest assured they'll see it Fat Freddy's way.

You think a court can order bankrupt companies to provide a service? How do you believe that plays out? Will drivers work for free because a judge tells them to? Will gas stations provide free gas?

 

[59 Dano]

If FedEx prefers to replace several thousand contractors, that is their right. It won’t make the company better and it won’t make them more money. Maybe they go to an employee model. That’s extremely expensive as well.

You know you're breaking the hearts of those on here who've convinced themselves that's it's the smart thing for the company to do, right? And they've convinced themselves it's the smart thing to do because they've also convinced themselves that it will lead to a union.

 

[bbsam]

You know you're breaking the hearts of those on here who've convinced themselves that's it's the smart thing for the company to do, right? And they've convinced themselves it's the smart thing to do because they've also convinced themselves that it will lead to a union.

True. I don’t know what the answer is but I’m quite certain the company can’t afford to ignore it and hope it goes away. #purplefriday is already a thing.

 

[bacha29]

You think a court can order bankrupt companies to provide a service? How do you believe that plays out? Will drivers work for free because a judge tells them to? Will gas stations provide free gas?

What amuses me to no end is how Patton keeps saying about he is putting the interests of FDX foremost as it pertains to his actions. Yeah, sure pal He's thinking about himself and only himself. An effective nationwide trucker's boycott requires money, organization endurance. There's hasn't been a trucker's strike yet that has lasted more than a few days. We saw it at the Canadian border not long ago. I hope you guys have found not only a place to park your trucks because they will be ordered off the property but it might be a good idea as well to find a buyer because they might not be left back on the property.

 

[It will be fine]

What amuses me to no end is how Patton keeps saying about he is putting the interests of FDX foremost as it pertains to his actions. Yeah, sure pal He's thinking about himself and only himself. An effective nationwide trucker's boycott requires money, organization endurance. There's hasn't been a trucker's strike yet that has lasted more than a few days. We saw it at the Canadian border not long ago. I hope you guys have found not only a place to park your trucks because they will be ordered off the property but it might be a good idea as well to find a buyer because they might not be left back on the property.

What are you talking about? Have you read anything he’s said or watched the videos? It’s as if you enjoy being horribly wrong all the time.

 

[bbsam]

What amuses me to no end is how Patton keeps saying about he is putting the interests of FDX foremost as it pertains to his actions. Yeah, sure pal He's thinking about himself and only himself. An effective nationwide trucker's boycott requires money, organization endurance. There's hasn't been a trucker's strike yet that has lasted more than a few days. We saw it at the Canadian border not long ago. I hope you guys have found not only a place to park your trucks because they will be ordered off the property but it might be a good idea as well to find a buyer because they might not be left back on the property.

I don’t think I’ve seen anything suggesting a “nationwide trucker boycott”.

Trucks ordered off the property? I doubt that. Not with their DOT number on the side. They want control. Remember?

 

[bacha29]

I don’t think I’ve seen anything suggesting a “nationwide trucker boycott”.

Trucks ordered off the property? I doubt that. Not with their DOT number on the side. They want control. Remember?

Ok Sam and IWBF Just exactly what specific action are you going to take come Purple Friday or before then? They've already told you that they are not going to open up and renegotiate your contracts (not that they were ever actually negotiated to begin with) and have made it clear that they will NOT negotiate with Patton's gang. So just what other affective course of action is available to you?

Look you had a nice run of it. A period of prosperity very uncommon to the trucking industry. The problem is you stayed too long. The fat settlement days are over. Right now you lack both organization and money . As a result there's nothing you guys could do on a larger enough scale that Fat Freddy cannot directly put down or bypass altogether.

 

[bbsam]

Ok Sam and IWBF Just exactly what specific action are you going to take come Purple Friday or before then? They've already told you that they are not going to open up and renegotiate your contracts (not that they were ever actually negotiated to begin with) and have made it clear that they will NOT negotiate with Patton's gang. So just what other affective course of action is available to you?

Look you had a nice run of it. A period of prosperity very uncommon to the trucking industry. The problem is you stayed too long. The fat settlement days are over. Right now you lack both organization and money . As a result there's nothing you guys could do on a larger enough scale that Fat Freddy cannot directly put down or bypass altogether.

I’m sorry but you have no conception of the situation. You keep looking for a monumental, cataclysmic event that starts on a given day and ends on a given day. It’s so incredibly small minded.

How about this? How about we do nothing? Not a strike, not a show of defiance or an attempt to “take down Fat Freddie”. What if it’s simply that the money to continue on is gone? There is no reason to continue. The banks can come and get the trucks when it becomes evident we can’t sell them.

What will we do? Probably file for bankruptcy. It seems that’s where FedEx wants us to end up anyway. I don’t know how that gets packages delivered and I don’t know why investors would cheer, but that’s not really my concern.

As I keep saying and you keep missing. This isn’t retribution. This is the condition of the model and it’s weakness is widespread.

So the real question is, what’s Raj gonna do? Sue me and 2800 other contractors? Will that get packages delivered? No. Probably not.

 

[Mutineer]

put down or bypass altogether.

If enough contractors parked their vans for a long enough time, I would be very interested to see how exactly Freddy and Raj would "bypass" such an event.

No judge is going to order independent, struggling/bankrupt businesses back to work.

It would be a perpetual turnover of lost, clueless temp agency stooges in rental trucks.

 

[59 Dano]

True. I don’t know what the answer is but I’m quite certain the company can’t afford to ignore it and hope it goes away. #purplefriday is already a thing.

The rumor mill is healthy and active at Express about Ground's future.

Rumors run the gamut from "Ground hires up all the drivers and makes them employees" to "Ground and Express are fully integrated" to "Ground does nothing." The most plausible one is that there could be some Ground drivers employed by FedEx Ground deployed in key areas. Also, the temporary shifting of some Ground packages into the Express network if needed and when feasible. Network 2.0 allows for more flexibility and a better ability to make quick changes.

Honorable mention is that Ground wants some of the smaller contractors to leave because there are plans in the works to give more routes to larger contractors.

 

[It will be fine]

Ok Sam and IWBF Just exactly what specific action are you going to take come Purple Friday or before then? They've already told you that they are not going to open up and renegotiate your contracts (not that they were ever actually negotiated to begin with) and have made it clear that they will NOT negotiate with Patton's gang. So just what other affective course of action is available to you?

Look you had a nice run of it. A period of prosperity very uncommon to the trucking industry. The problem is you stayed too long. The fat settlement days are over. Right now you lack both organization and money . As a result there's nothing you guys could do on a larger enough scale that Fat Freddy cannot directly put down or bypass altogether.

My plan is to take all the money they offer to ramp up for peak and put it in my pocket. I’m not hiring any extra drivers or procuring extra trucks. Failure during peak is an option that seems very likely across the board. I’ll make more profit that way. It doesn’t sound like a good plan for FedEx getting boxes delivered, but I do this for money. I’ll do what makes the most money.

 

[UnionStrong]

If enough contractors parked their vans for a long enough time, I would be very interested to see how exactly Freddy and Raj would "bypass" such an event.

No judge is going to order independent, struggling/bankrupt businesses back to work.

It would be a perpetual turnover of lost, clueless temp agency stooges in rental trucks.

Ups is usually hiring

 

[bbsam]

Honorable mention is that Ground wants some of the smaller contractors to leave because there are plans in the works to give more routes to larger contractors.

I think FedEx doesn’t know what they want. I thought this might be the case but larger, more powerful contractors has always been something they’ve avoided. Spencer Patton is a prime example but there are others. The “investor class” contractor that I know pulled out of a station and they still haven’t recovered in over a year.

 

[bacha29]

I’m sorry but you have no conception of the situation. You keep looking for a monumental, cataclysmic event that starts on a given day and ends on a given day. It’s so incredibly small minded.

How about this? How about we do nothing? Not a strike, not a show of defiance or an attempt to “take down Fat Freddie”. What if it’s simply that the money to continue on is gone? There is no reason to continue. The banks can come and get the trucks when it becomes evident we can’t sell them.

What will we do? Probably file for bankruptcy. It seems that’s where FedEx wants us to end up anyway. I don’t know how that gets packages delivered and I don’t know why investors would cheer, but that’s not really my concern.

As I keep saying and you keep missing. This isn’t retribution. This is the condition of the model and it’s weakness is widespread.

So the real question is, what’s Raj gonna do? Sue me and 2800 other contractors? Will that get packages delivered? No. Probably not.

The financial condition of the contractor at the moment will not prevent Fats from going for an injunction as long as the contract is still in effect If granted that injunction that will be the time for contractors to file for bankruptcy or proclaimed insolvency. Other than that there's nothing you can do. You'll all say these thing s about what you're going to do in peak and not going to do in peak but in the you'll still sign the addendum because the TLAP's will be replaced with the TIR's (Temps In Rentals).

Going forward it's all now simply a question of how much pain you're willing to endure in exchange for the hope for a return to the prosperity of the past. All it is is hope and right now there isn't a single one of you Fats can't do without. And get that idea out of your head right now that you're too big to be handed your hat and sent on your way.

 

[MAKAVELI]

True. I don’t know what the answer is but I’m quite certain the company can’t afford to ignore it and hope it goes away. #purplefriday is already a thing.

I think the answer is a painful one for FedEx. Ultimately they will have to choose one model. One offers total control and more efficiency. The other will offer more short term profit but less control, efficiency, and long term stability. The clock is ticking and Raj and the board have some major decisions to make.

 

[bbsam]

The financial condition of the contractor at the moment will not prevent Fats from going for an injunction as long as the contract is still in effect If granted that injunction that will be the time for contractors to file for bankruptcy or proclaimed insolvency. Other than that there's nothing you can do. You'll all say these thing s about what you're going to do in peak and not going to do in peak but in the you'll still sign the addendum because the TLAP's will be replaced with the TIR's (Temps In Rentals).

Going forward it's all now simply a question of how much pain you're willing to endure in exchange for the hope for a return to the prosperity of the past. All it is is hope and right now there isn't a single one of you Fats can't do without. And get that idea out of your head right now that you're too big to be handed your hat and sent on your way.

“Temps in rentals”. You really have been gone a long, long time.

One more time bacha.

Why would anyone care if FedEx yanks the contracts? Bankrupt is bankrupt. No fuel and no drivers doesn’t get packages delivered.

If FedEx believes they can do it better with temps in rentals, I don’t believe there is a contractor that will get in their way. They’ll fail miserably and it’ll cost them far more to do it, but that is their prerogative.

 

[yadig]

The rumor mill is healthy and active at Express about Ground's future.

Rumors run the gamut from "Ground hires up all the drivers and makes them employees" to "Ground and Express are fully integrated" to "Ground does nothing." The most plausible one is that there could be some Ground drivers employed by FedEx Ground deployed in key areas. Also, the temporary shifting of some Ground packages into the Express network if needed and when feasible. Network 2.0 allows for more flexibility and a better ability to make quick changes.

Honorable mention is that Ground wants some of the smaller contractors to leave because there are plans in the works to give more routes to larger contractors.

Did you forget to take your meds today?