Rambler

I find it interesting that the FDX pilots are trashed all the time and treated like a troublesome cost center, yet the FDX statement says that the air side of FDX is so vital. Check the finance section of Yahoo and look up the news for FedEx and read the articles dated March 5th. I wonder what Piloto Noche has to say about this.

Below is a statement from our pilot friendly Maury Lane:

"Today, UPS and the Teamsters succeeded in persuading this Congressional committee to rewrite the RLA in a way that would affect just one company—UPS’s main competitor, FedEx Express. The reason is that both UPS and the union would benefit if the union’s disruptive organizing tactics were allowed to disrupt FedEx’s vital airline express delivery system. Although FedEx Express is less than half the size of UPS, FedEx Express handles time-sensitive packages, most of them transported by air and vital to today’s fast-paced economy."

MD11HOG

To paraphrase Maury: It's unfair that we lost or unfair regulatory advantage.

Piloto Noche

Yea, I heard Fred Smith just sent a red letter to the CEO of UPS threatening to turn FedEx into a trucking company if this legislation passes.

MX727

Did he also send a "with or without you" letter to congress?

Precontact

What's wrong with union representation at FedEx? Is it only to be reserved for the pilots?

FXDX

Nothing, except that its not actually FedEx Express, its FedEx Freight. Different animal, Fred has relied on the friendly classification of those workers as independent contractors, not employees. If they become employees and then unionize it is theorized that our expenses will increase thus helping the competition (you guys).

What is right? Who knows, but the fight will be long and bloody. Fred doesn't like our union, and will continue to try to keep any others off the properties. Our (FedEx express) mechanics have been trying to form a union for a while and they have our support.

KDENPilot

They may have your support. Personally, I don't want to see any other employee groups unionize at the company, nor do I want to see the freight/ground guys be defined as employees vs contractors. The current arrangement gives the company a huge cost advantage over UPS, which I would like to see continue. At some point the economy will turn around, and the bigger profits that FedEx has, the bigger pay raises that can be justified.

FXDX

I shouldn't speak for anybody else. I meant that ALPA has publicly supported the unionization efforts of our mechanics.

Flyinhigh

Actually, it is FedEx Ground. This was the model used by RPS before FedEx bought the company. Nobody seemed to care that these guys were contractors at a small outfit like RPS. Suddenly, when it is FedEx and we are getting in to UPS's shorts, the employees are unhappy and want to unionize. If you talk to any of these contractors, the vast majority are happy and, as usual, it is a small percentage that are disgruntled. From the people I have talked with, there is a tremendous amount of Teamster money being thrown at this thing to get these guys declared employees and to get them unionized. Probably not going to happen as too many of them are satisfied with the way things are. It also has something to do with the multiple route contractors who are not going to be declared employees but rather keep their contractor status.