purpledog

Talk to your Ground driver the next time he delivers for you. If he is the "owner" of that route, I bet he is applauding the decision. I know my driver probably is.

Sideshow Bob

It was a remark...now that you've chimed in it's a discussion.

Moderate yourself.

Whistlin' Dan

We have a long-standing tradition in this country that workers have a legal right to organize into collective-bargaining groups. Plugging loopholes in those laws which make it difficult, if not impossible for them to do so isn't throwing the employers under the bus. Rather, it brings the letter of the law into conformance with the spirit of the law.

I'm not taking political-sides here, just commenting on what I believe to be the record of our current President in the matter of employee mis-classification.

The FedEx driver I talk to isn't happy with the court's decision. He makes $13.75/hr, has crappy benefits and NO job security, while his buddy at UPS makes $22+, has full bennies, and can transfer to another location with seniority should it become necessary. Mention "Independence!" or "Being in charge of his own success!" to him and he's likely to kick you in the shins.

I wonder what the typical pilot's life would be like if FedEx started "franchising" air routes and types of equipment?

FDXLAG

Why doesn't he go to work for UPS?

As to your question it would work better for some and worse for others; no wait, that is the way it is now!

FXDX

B Hussein Obama will fix it all, no worries. I'm sure he'll get right on it after he covers my mortgage this month.

FDXLAG

Fred pays a penalty for using his business model. In fact there are probably more drivers needed with the seperate entities. Force fred to change the model and less drivers will be working. Of course the remaining drivers will make more and have better bennies; I hope your driver is one of the ones that keeps his job. But I doubt it, doesn't sound very ambitious.

Whistlin' Dan

I don't know. Probably for the same reason FedEx pilots organize and fight for better wages and working conditions at FedEx, rather than just apply for similar jobs at UPS. Just curious...who would it work better for, and how? I'm having a hard time coming up with a company where such an arrangement has ever worked to the employee's benefit.

It's somewhat ironic that the company who lobbied against UPS' using "independent contractors" to operate their air fleet is now defending the practice as applied to their own ground fleet.

FreightDawgyDog

Alert..Alert..major thread drift!!!

Pardon me but are you talking about Fred's ideas or our union leaders Age 60 retro policy? Less drivers needed while the ones at the top make more (Every retro guy I know is flying way above BLG {or blocking his calendar} while we get 20% less so they could come back and fly). Of course when you figure in the the pension money they give up so they can continue to fly over 100 hours a month at straight pay they really are paid like part time employees. I just wish their actions hadn't made us all part timers..

I know, I know, get over it. If all we lost was 5 years of seniority I would be. Problem is we are all taking a pay cut to keep these guys flying, and most of them are doing the job of 2 pilots when it comes to pay while the rest of us suffer BLG loss. It is hard to move on with the shiv still twisting in your back!

Here's to NL out of ANC who is having his retirement party at Age 60 as we speak. Good old HC will be in attendance, after all his retirement parties he took and then came back. Good that he found time with all the extra flying he has been doing. Maybe the good sense of Old St. Nick will rub off on him while he is there? Not holding my breath..

Thank you. I feel better now..

FDXLAG

My guess is he can't get a job at UPS because those jobs are in demand and hard to come by. An independent contractor took pity on him and hired the guy to perform a service. Now the guy is trying to take the livelyhood of the independent contractor away.

Well, granted you would have to be well versed in nuance to see that I did not say it work would work better for anyone if fred farmed out the flying. But offhand, if Fred farmed out the MEM-SHV run at a reasonable rate I could take it over, hire a bunch of ungratefull shmucks, and turn a nice profit on it while working from home. Too bad the feds would never go for it.

matty

Does the driver you talked to work for Express or Ground?