The Express employee massacre continues.

[vantexan]

That is some sad, scary truth. I've seen that more than once.


I've had multiple jobs, roles, and functions as a courier for different companies.

My opinion is that If anyone is deserving of appreciation and respect for "putting up with the job" in this entire rotten industry, it's FedEx contractors.

Contractors or those who work for contractors? Under the impression today's contractors do much better than the drivers who work for them.

 

[It will be fine]

Contractors or those who work for contractors? Under the impression today's contractors do much better than the drivers who work for them.

There’s currently a lot of contractors that aren’t even paying themselves to try and stay afloat. Some contracts are that bad. There’s a lot that are carrying massive debt from buying businesses during the Covid boom and are now drowning with the decreasing volume. All to contract with a corporation that actively makes it harder to operate and nearly impossible to operate profitably. If you think corporate doesn’t care about drivers you wouldn’t be surprised that they actually hate their contractors.

 

[Mutineer]

Contractors or those who work for contractors? Under the impression today's contractors do much better than the drivers who work for them.

I specifically stated "FedEx contractors."

Putting up with FedEx (or any company I have worked for) as a contractor has been the most challenging, exasperating, mind-numbing thing I have ever done in ALL of my experiences in this industry combined.

 

[Mutineer]

If you think corporate doesn’t care about drivers you wouldn’t be surprised that they actually hate their contractors.

At some point as a contractor it finally crossed my mind that there could be no other explanation other than that FedEx must absolutely, positively hate me.

 

[It will be fine]

At some point as a contractor it finally crossed my mind that there could be no other explanation other than that FedEx must absolutely, positively hate me.

They don’t even try to pretend anymore. All their corporate communication is “friend all of you, there’s the door if you don’t like it.” It’s a bold strategy for an organization to be operated on pure mutual hatred of all involved parties.

 

[Gone fishin]

They don’t even try to pretend anymore. All their corporate communication is “friend all of you, there’s the door if you don’t like it.” It’s a bold strategy for an organization to be operated on pure mutual hatred of all involved parties.

And that is one reason I don’t think they will give ground contractors “all “ the control. If contractors are smart , the leverage would literally flip 100 percent

 

[Mutineer]

They don’t even try to pretend anymore. All their corporate communication is “friend all of you, there’s the door if you don’t like it.” It’s a bold strategy for an organization to be operated on pure mutual hatred of all involved parties.

That is a laughably toxic, dystopian business culture which firmly believes there is an infinite supply of people who are willing to put up with crap.

Yet all I hear about from politicians, corporate shills, and the plasticky news people is "labor shortage."

Maybe what they should be saying is there's "a labor shortage of people who will put up with crap."

 

[Mutineer]

And that is one reason I don’t think they will give ground contractors “all “ the control. If contractors are smart , the leverage would literally flip 100 percent

If FedEx gave ground contractors 'control' for five minutes, there would be rioting and heads on sticks.

...metaphorically speaking of course.

 

[vantexan]

There’s currently a lot of contractors that aren’t even paying themselves to try and stay afloat. Some contracts are that bad. There’s a lot that are carrying massive debt from buying businesses during the Covid boom and are now drowning with the decreasing volume. All to contract with a corporation that actively makes it harder to operate and nearly impossible to operate profitably. If you think corporate doesn’t care about drivers you wouldn’t be surprised that they actually hate their contractors.

I remember years ago having a discussion with bbsam where he said that things were worked out beforehand in negotiations with the company and were mutually beneficial. That in response to some telling him this and that was what FedEx was doing to the Express workforce and eventually they'd do it to Ground contractors too. At that time he seemed confident that wouldn't happen to him. Not saying this to gloat, but it has been the FedEx m.o. for decades now that when they had to give one group of employees more they took from another group. Or if they screwed up and had to shell out a substantial amount they expected employees to suck it up with no raise or a very small one. Older employees remember a better time but I came to believe they were building the brand back then and offered more to get quality people in. After they got people too far in to quit they started stripping the pay and benefits year over year. I suspect the same approach was taken with Ground contractors in the early days. And in recent years contractors are finding what Express employees have known for 25 years or more. Heard years ago that Fred's family was connected to Greyhound Bus Lines. Should've realized then the barebones approach of Greyhound was very similar to what was happening at FedEx and started to look for a better situation.

 

[It will be fine]

That is a laughably toxic

Laughably Toxic is the perfect description of FedEx corporate culture. It’s so bad you can’t even take them seriously, there’s nothing to do but laugh.

 

[burrheadd]

They don’t even try to pretend anymore. All their corporate communication is “friend all of you, there’s the door if you don’t like it.” It’s a bold strategy for an organization to be operated on pure mutual hatred of all involved parties.

They know there are enough folks like you that can’t or won’t walk away that they’ll keep on doin what they've been doin

 

[MAKAVELI]

Laughably Toxic is the perfect description of FedEx corporate culture. It’s so bad you can’t even take them seriously, there’s nothing to do but laugh.

You're a willing participant in that toxic FedEx corporate culture.

 

[Gone fishin]

Laughably Toxic is the perfect description of FedEx corporate culture. It’s so bad you can’t even take them seriously, there’s nothing to do but laugh.

Why wouldn’t you get another job far away from Fedx

You're a willing participant in that toxic FedEx corporate culture.

at one point my wife asked me if I was interested in being a contractor. She makes a lot of money and I kind of thought she was wanting me to do this Just to kind of get into the business side.
After some research for her , she then saw what I did. You have no control , fedex controls the freight , your employees decide your success, recessions can wipe you out , along with a blown engine.
I’ve only wanted a good life , and I’ve been lucky enough to achieve it.

 

[lilwizbiz]

What the job required decades ago has no bearing on what it’s worth today. It’s a low skill, high turnover job. You can train a person up to decent within a few weeks, a few months and they’re basically an expert. That type of job isn’t going to command super high wages.

There are couriers at my station who still don’t know what they’re doing 6 months in. They don’t even get trained on pickups anymore. Company’s become lazy overall and could give 2 s ever since covid.

 

[bbsam]

I remember years ago having a discussion with bbsam where he said that things were worked out beforehand in negotiations with the company and were mutually beneficial. That in response to some telling him this and that was what FedEx was doing to the Express workforce and eventually they'd do it to Ground contractors too. At that time he seemed confident that wouldn't happen to him. Not saying this to gloat, but it has been the FedEx m.o. for decades now that when they had to give one group of employees more they took from another group. Or if they screwed up and had to shell out a substantial amount they expected employees to suck it up with no raise or a very small one. Older employees remember a better time but I came to believe they were building the brand back then and offered more to get quality people in. After they got people too far in to quit they started stripping the pay and benefits year over year. I suspect the same approach was taken with Ground contractors in the early days. And in recent years contractors are finding what Express employees have known for 25 years or more. Heard years ago that Fred's family was connected to Greyhound Bus Lines. Should've realized then the barebones approach of Greyhound was very similar to what was happening at FedEx and started to look for a better situation.

It’s a different game now. The company absolutely has become a toxic environment of capitalistic swamp gas. Nearly wiped me out last year. I’d spent too long playing the game that didn’t exist anymore. But I’m still here.

We’ll see what the company becomes. Just heard yesterday of contractors eating each other for short term profit. It’s an atmosphere that the company will have to address for any kind of future success.

 

[vantexan]

It’s a different game now. The company absolutely has become a toxic environment of capitalistic swamp gas. Nearly wiped me out last year. I’d spent too long playing the game that didn’t exist anymore. But I’m still here.

We’ll see what the company becomes. Just heard yesterday of contractors eating each other for short term profit. It’s an atmosphere that the company will have to address for any kind of future success.

It's a different game for you now. It really started going downhill for couriers in if I remember right about '94. But it wasn't all at once. Was the proverbial turning the heat up gradually on the frog. Looks like the couriers are getting the full boil now. On the plus side for Ground contractors they need you to make it work. But likely they'll see how far they can push you to accept less before they give more.

 

[bacha29]

It's a different game for you now. It really started going downhill for couriers in if I remember right about '94. But it wasn't all at once. Was the proverbial turning the heat up gradually on the frog. Looks like the couriers are getting the full boil now. On the plus side for Ground contractors they need you to make it work. But likely they'll see how far they can push you to accept less before they give more.

Ties in with the fact that the long downhill slide for contractors began in 98 when Fat Freddy bought RPS from Roadway and tried to make it serve multiple markets, none of which it has done all that well.
While terms did favor the company Roadway given that it was having a hard time just getting somebody to take the deal to begin with stayed in the lane RPS was designed for. In addition knowing that the contractors only had a few hundred up front bucks in the game and could leave right on the spot and only be out those few bucks, it treated contractors with respect. When Fat Freddy took over he required contractors to put substantial additional amounts of borrowed money at risk and to the extent that a number of contractors ended up with negative personal net worth.

Going forward Fat Freddy doesn't care if you've got 5 routes or 500 routes those routes still belong to him. He's just letting you use them for a maximum of one year or less if he's got it in for you.

From this point onward what happens to contractors.....happens to them....and there ain't a damn thing they can do about it.
And if what happens to them is unpleasant then they've got nobody to blame but themselves for not getting out when market conditions favored them.

 

[zeev]

Nashville home of the first merger, has a contractor with the best routes in area, has his business up for sale. He must have had the first look at what the Express merger would look like and said take it all cash discount. 19 truck business is that average? Wait Spencer Patton is in Nashville maybe he’s interested.

 

[Gone fishin]

Nashville home of the first merger, has a contractor with the best routes in area, has his business up for sale. He must have had the first look at what the Express merger would look like and said take it all cash discount. 19 truck business is that average? Wait Spencer Patton is in Nashville maybe he’s interested.

Wow , that’s saying something

 

[UnionStrong]

Wow , that’s saying something

Even the rat’s eventually abandon ship.