Fedex in the browncafe

[DS]

Hi fedexites,I'm a ups driver and a moderator in the bc.I used to go on fedexaminer and chat occasionally but that site is no longer user friendly.I just thought I'd say that you have to remember that the browncafe may be an odd place for fedexers to communicate,but in her infinate wisdom,our administrator has made it possible for you to speak your minds.I think you will be as surprised as we are at ups,that things don't change a lot no matter where you work.If you feel strongly about a subject,start a new thread,I'm sure other fedexi will respond.
Welcome ....

 

[FedexExEmployee]

That's awfully nice of you

As long as there is an outlet to bring forth the truth, I will continue to use it in the hopes of steering Fedex employees, or those considering employment at Fedex, in the right direction via the truth about the company.

 

[Frdx]

Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.

 

[DS]

Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.

fedex is not my enemy.I'm just a driver.I personally think there's plenty for everyone.

 

[MrFedEx]

This is probably the year that the implosion process at FedEx really takes off. Between the lawsuits,incredibly unhappy employees, and increasingly unsatisfied customers, the feces is going to hit the fan, and UPS will be undoubtedly be a beneficiary. Many Fedex Express facilities actually turned away inbound freight this peak because they were too short-handed to deliver it on time, and it was a "soft" peak.

It's no secret that UPS has been doing some heavy lobbying regarding FedEx Express and the RLA, and I'm sure Big Brown is pretty happy with the direction the FedEx Ground lawsuits are heading. That said, I think having FedEx as part of the Brown Cafe Forums will be great for both parties. UPS'ers can keep track of the changes at FedEx that will affect UPS, and we at FedEx can learn how to go about the business of organizing to protect ourselves from predatory Tayloristic management. You wear brown, and we wear blue, but we're in the same boat when it comes to being constantly pressured to be more productive by innovative engineering types who couldn't actually run a route if their lives depended on it. If the computer says it can be done, then it must be so. All praise the father of scientific motion studies....the great Professor Taylor!!!(engineer's mantra)

 

[FedexExEmployee]

Ah yes, engineers. The engineer at the station I worked at was a really cool guy.

Cool enough that I was able to tell him, and I quote, "How the *uck can they let people like you set up routes when you never even touched a gosh darn package?"

He just smirked. No kidding. No vocal response; just a smirk that said plenty.

That being said, I'm not sure if that really matters. I mean, look at your average manager. Your average manager was at one point a courier. Yet, they lie through their teeth to couriers who are doing as they once did. The average manager knows what it was like, yet they don't let that get in their way. Rather, they prefer to step on as many people as possible to keep their bonuses rolling in.

 

[brownmonster]

The guy telling us how easy our job is now with technology at UPS has to go 400 pounds. OK buddy, show me how it's done.

 

[Mrs.FedEx.TX]

We must realize that the managers and upper management at FedEx do not care about anyone but themselves. We were told by our management team just last week that we will not be permitted to deliver any packages that are scheduled for delivery for future dates on a current work day (I think this has been a rule all along but never enforced). What a bunch of crap!!! It merely means that they will have the authority to collapse routes which in turn means that many full-time drivers and definitely part-timers will be going home on LWOP. I was also told by a manager that at least Fed Ex does not lay-off! Well hell no! They don't want the responsibility of doing that! It will only make them seem more less than human. It will possibly force many long-term couriers to have to quit in able to keep food on the table. It is a REALLY scary time to be an employee Fed Ex now! Another thing, thank you all Big Brown employees for allowing us to use your room. Ours does definitely suck!

 

[MrFedEx]

You might find it interesting that upper management IS floating the trial balloon of lay-offs right now, probably to try and scare us out of thinking about unionizing. Since PSP basically means nothing anymore, I'm pretty sure that the "no lay-off" policy is up for grabs as well. As you obviously already know, it's all about the money, and if they can lay-off and get away with it, they probably will.

Please pass the word around about this site. I really think we can get something going if enough of us get involved and stay informed about what's going on with FedEx.

 

[Mrs.FedEx.TX]

Hey Mr. Fed Ex- I hear about people talking about us FedExer's unionizing but I was also told that because of the buy out of RPS which brought about Fed Ex Ground that it would be near impossible for us to have a union now. I am not all that savvy when it comes to talking politics concerning the workplace and its rules but I am open to learn as much as possible. Of course I always hear about union reps coming to our station occasionally to pass out information to our drivers, but as usual management runs them off so we hardly get a chance to know anything. Now that many courier's jobs are truly up in the air I think that many of the old-timers wish that they had organized a union before now. I have only been with the company under ten years and some of us who have been there 15+ are sweating it out now. Many folks are just plain scared to even the thought of being found out about thinking of a union. I really enjoy your enlightening posts.

 

[FedexExEmployee]

I was also told by a manager that at least Fed Ex does not lay-off!

They have always "bragged" about that. However, the reality is that Fredex FIRES it's employees left and right for "falsification" (meanwhile, managers falsify numbers on a daily basis). Well, seeing how they FIRE people left and right, they don't need to lay off. However, when the time comes that they do need to start laying off people, they will think nothing of it.

It is a REALLY scary time to be an employee Fed Ex now!

As I stated above, considering they FIRE people left and right for "falsification" , Fredex has been a scary place to work for quite some time now. That won't change and will continue to get worse as they find other ways to catch you in an act of falsification.

If it's a possibility for you, I'd look elsewhere for employment. Nothing can be worse than running around busting your butt for a THANKLESS company with no job security. I saw too many fellow employees get fired while I was still there; so many it's sickening.

 

[MrFedEx]

The big obstacle to organizing FedEx Express has always been it's classification as an airline operating under the guidelines of the Railway Labor Act (RLA). The RLA is basically an all or nothing deal...either the whole company organizes or else. For example, you couldn't have a local union in Texas without having the entire country also be unionized. This makes it nearly impossible to organize the Express division, and Fred S has put a lot of money into politicians who have helped overturn attempts to classify FedEx Express under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), which DOES allow local (as opposed to national only) unions. The old Airborne, for example, was under the NLRA, and some terminals were union while others were not. UPS is also under the NLRA, even though it also runs an airline and a ground division,just like FedEx.

Democratic leaders and the Teamsters made a big push in 1997 to have FedEx Express re-classified under the NLRA, and it failed thanks to all of Fred S's "friends" in Congress. Republicans snuck a provison keeping FedEx under the RLA onto an airline appropriations bill that was a "must-pass" piece of legislation. Ted Kennedy called it one of the sneakiest moves in US political history. After that, the Teamsters have kind of faded into the background, although they seem to be smelling blood in the water lately.

Of course, the other factor limiting unionization is the vehement opposition to unions by FedEx management. Most people know they will either be harrassed or fired for even talking about unions. This is illegal, but it hasn't stopped Fred from doing it.

The Teamsters need to pressure Congress to change the FedEx RLA classification. UPS has already been lobbying hard for the change because it will level the playing field between the two companies in terms of labor costs. As you know, we make way less than UPS, whose package car drivers will be topping-out at around $28 per hour (with a real pension plan) under the new contract.

Smith has gotten away with this game for 35 years now, and it's high time he was stopped in his tracks. I always love the way he rants about the Purple Promise and how important FedEx employees are. It's finally starting to hit home to even the most ignorant employees that we are getting screwed over by a ruthless despot who sold us out years ago.

 

[FedexExEmployee]

As time goes on , the quality of service will continue on a steady decline due to poor working conditions.
These poor working conditions has led to many current employees "not caring anymore."
So, many of them stop going the extra distance or, better yet, quit and find a more satisfying job.

Before I left, many of the customers on my last route stated things such as "What's happening? We can't get a steady guy. Everyone keeps leaving for other jobs. Now you're leaving too!"

Customers do take notice of these things.
Of course, any measureable impact will take time, but I believe it will hit hard sooner or later.

 

[FedEx2000]

What exactly are the poor working conditions that you refer to? The stations that I have worked in have been clean, safe, and well maintained. If your's were otherwise, then I put that on the local SCIT team and management, but I would hardly describe that as a company-wide issue. How many locations did you work at, 1 or 2? You, an ex-employee, and a current employee that is a friend of yours doesn't really qualify as "many current employees" that are unhappy. If it is so, I encourage them to look for a job elsewhere, it's not a job for everyone. If they are not happy there, of course their performance/service will suffer, how is that different than any other job? In my 8 yrs with Express I have not seen any proof that FedEx "fires people left and right" rather than laying people off. I have been at a large station with 100+ employees for 4 yrs and maybe 4 or 5 people have been fired. I haven't been given a single letter or negative OLCC in my 8 years. Sure, many have moved onto other jobs, but not because they were fired. I think your claims, as an ex-employee, are a bit exaggerated....but maybe that's just me. As far as the union chatter goes, I for one, have no desire to unionize. What can they get me? A couple extra bucks an hour? At what cost to me? I have a good relationship with management and would prefer it stay that way rather than having a management vs. union atmosphere. Benefits? It's not like ours are terrible, we have a 401k with match, pension, cheap insurance, and many other discounts and perks. Sure the ins. isn't free, but it's pretty darn cheap, $36/mo. Sure the pension has changed, due to laws that are designed to prevent another "Enron" scenario, but again it's not like they took it away and blew all the money on other things. The union pension that UPS was in was holding them back until they finally paid what, $2 Billion to get out of it!! That $2 Billion could have been spend a whole lot of other places had they not been in the union plan to begin with, like directly funding the pension or raises perhaps.

I guess I am just not one of the unhappy non-caring employees that you describe, and maybe you are one of the few rather than the many. JMHO

 

[FedexExEmployee]

FedEx2000, many current employees are indeed unhappy. Just because you're not doesn't mean that can't be true. 95% of the employees at the station I worked at were very unhappy there. Most were seniors so felt it was best to ride it out. Anyone who transfered in from other stations had the same things to say about the company. Yes, I worked at one station but between the transfers that came in and the dispatchers I knew very well, etc you still get to know what goes on in other stations. The forums and blogs don't lie either.
As for firings, it's happening it an alarming rate; at least in my area (NY).
As for OLCCs, it depends on the managers. At my station and the stations other employees trasfered in from, OLCCs were given left and right as well. Only negative ones of course.
Try taking a look around other forums/blogs. It's the same story.
You must be working in dreamland. I mean, no offense, but if you can honestly say that Fedex is a nice company to work for something just doesn't sound right. It's been going downhill for year in terms of employee treatment. The moral is terrible.
You must actually believe in the Purple Promise too.
What else do you believe?
That managers really care?
That they don't falsify on a daily basis while firing others for the same thing?
That the company cares about you at least a little bit?
That you're not being micro-managed to the extreme?
That things are not getting worse every year?
You're either management or brain-washed. What is your position there btw?
Either way, enjoy your career at Fredex. Be sure to cross your T's and dot your I's. Try not to "falsify" either. Falsification can be just about anything.
Good luck on reaching top pay, which they set up to be reachable by your 20th year lol
Oh, and enjoy the PATHETIC new pension plan LOL
Damn, if the pension plan change wasn't enough to snap you out if it, you're a lost cause.
Hey, if you're lucky you'll get knocked down to part-time (assuming you're full-time) once E2, XS & SOS eventually go over to Ground.

 

[MrFedEx]

FedEx 2000 sounds just like the kind of employee Fred S wants...full of the Purple Promise and still believing that FedEx "cares". Perhaps you do work in one of the few stations that are well-run with halfway decent managers, and that's great. But company-wide, FedEx is in a freefall in terms of service and morale, and if you're pleased with the new PPP you need to have a talk with your financial advisor about your retirement goals, because the PPP won't allow you to reach them. Unless, of course,you want to live out of your car in some backwater state.

I also work in a station with 100+ employees and I can assure you that most of them are quite unhappy. When Fred came out with his most recent letter asking for a re-dedication to the Purple Promise ,most just laughed...because it's a complete joke. It's pretty obvious he's lying about the Ground scenario, just like he and upper management have lied about so many other things over the years. We've lost about 20% of our station during the last year, and so have most of the other stations in the area where I work. People are just fed-up with it, and guess what...even the most hard-core FedEx employees are NOT buying into the BS anymore.
A lot of employees are looking at other careers, while some of us are too young to retire but probably too old to start anew somewhere else.
I'm no big fan of unions either, but what other alternative do we have? I guess we could wait around for Santa to come like FedEx 2000, but HE ISN'T COMING!!! Wake-up to the reality of what FedEx has become and stop being a doormat.

 

[moodaddy247]

I don't kno what kind of compensation y'all at fed-ex are receiving.. but you might want to kno that the teamsters are foaming at the mouth to recruit fed-ex to join the teamsters... rite now all their attention is focused on organizing UPSF (overnite), since Hoffa didn't put up a fight w/ our contract; parcel in turned a blind eye to them organizing the upsF drivers. It just so happens that Indianapolis, IN one the 1st vote card in the country. it was like 172-1 in favor of the union.
I strongly believe that when the IRS gets done with fed-ex, that all the new 'employees' will take a closer look at some form of representation. Im sure by now you've heard of the fines being levied against the company...if not, perhaps a quick check of teamster.org might give you some more insight.
keep yer chin up honey... you've come this far.. right?

 

[MrFedEx]

It all depends on the market level (another FedEx game), but, in general, most couriers start at around $14.50 per hr and top-out at around $23 or so, again, depending on the area. A courier in New York City makes a lot more than the guy in rural Arkansas, for example.

The time it takes to reach top wage is the main problem, and a second factor is the market level issue I mentioned above. I know couriers who have been around for 10 years and they still aren't topped-out...I don't even know how long it takes anymore. With market level, if you live more than about 20 miles from a big city, you are placed into a lower tier and make less money, even if the costs of living are equal. You do the exact same job for less money, and getting re-classified is like seeking an audience with the Pope. I know of one location that has been trying to get a higher level classification for over 10 years, and even though they have the figures to support a bump-up in grade level, management keeps turning them down flat.

The reality of this is that you can be an excellent driver doing way more work than the guy next to you, and he or she will be making 7 or 8 dollars an hour more if they've been around for 10 or 11 years. Your yearly wage increase is peanuts, so the inequity can last for along time. It's even worse if you live far enough out of town to be at a lower market level. The net result is that FedEx saves a bundle on labor costs over the competition.

I really hope you're right about the Teamsters focusing on us after they get UPS Freight on-board. They will be welcomed with open arms.

 

[Mrs.FedEx.TX]

Fedex2000-

I'm like others who responded to your comments. I just might come and work at your station if it's that good there for you and others. Sounds like you just might be a manager on this site to see what other fellow Fedexers are complaining about. Sorry, but I just can't agree with most of your views. Sure, some of the benefits are great for us but for the most part Fedex DOES NOT give us ANYTHING! Don't get me wrong now, I am thankful to even have a job in this age we are now living in but most of us work our asses off to make that company run. If I were you I'd re-evaluate my position with Fedex. You just might be singing a different tune a year of so from now.

 

[moodaddy247]

I think fedex2k needs to research some more... and then some more...

No, its not perfect, If I wanted perfection; well.....

I guess you decide what you're willing to tolerate... for me, as corny as it might read, since I got my cdl, I wanted to run for brown...b/c they have the best compensation... took me 10 years to get here, but Im here.

Perhaps a great majority of Ground and Express drivers will take the buy-out, if and when one comes...
...go on take the money and run, hooo hooo hooo.