Fred Smith Oct. 9-10th
10-04-2012, 05:21 PM
#52
Living the dream!
Joined APC: May 2006
Position: MD-11 Capt
Posts: 915
Just my opinion. I'd love to be wrong!
10-04-2012, 05:23 PM
#53
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Dec 2010
Posts: 3,118
Two Different things.
FedEx Express is regulated by the RLA (Railway Labor Act). In regards to Labor Law, simply put, Labor Groups at FedEx Express, or any Airline for that matter, can't organize on a local level, has to be all or nothing across the entire company in regards to Union Representation for that group. Thus every labor at Express faces this challenge in organizing.
With the NLRA (National Labor Relations Act), Labor can organize locally, ie, a company can have a group of couriers in some cities be represented by a union, while couriers in other cities are not. FedEx Express Couriers are classified under the RLA, UPS Couriers are classified under the NLRA. The basic reason is that UPS started as a Trucking Company, FedEx Express started as an Airline.
The Company has fought UPS, the Teamsters and Congress (James Oberstar) regarding this issue. (Remember the "Brown Bailout Campaign" and the clause in the agreement with Boeing when we ordered the 777s?)
Regarding the Contractor Model, that is FedEx Ground. When Ground was created, or rebranded after FDX bought RPS, they continued to use the existing contractor model that RPS used for its ground network. This has been challenged in court many times, and FedEx continues to win, with slight adjustments to the model.
Both the classification of FedEx Express and the FedEx Ground Contractor model offers huge cost savings to FedEx in regards to Labor cost. This is very important to Mr. Smith.
FedEx Express is regulated by the RLA (Railway Labor Act). In regards to Labor Law, simply put, Labor Groups at FedEx Express, or any Airline for that matter, can't organize on a local level, has to be all or nothing across the entire company in regards to Union Representation for that group. Thus every labor at Express faces this challenge in organizing.
With the NLRA (National Labor Relations Act), Labor can organize locally, ie, a company can have a group of couriers in some cities be represented by a union, while couriers in other cities are not. FedEx Express Couriers are classified under the RLA, UPS Couriers are classified under the NLRA. The basic reason is that UPS started as a Trucking Company, FedEx Express started as an Airline.
The Company has fought UPS, the Teamsters and Congress (James Oberstar) regarding this issue. (Remember the "Brown Bailout Campaign" and the clause in the agreement with Boeing when we ordered the 777s?)
Regarding the Contractor Model, that is FedEx Ground. When Ground was created, or rebranded after FDX bought RPS, they continued to use the existing contractor model that RPS used for its ground network. This has been challenged in court many times, and FedEx continues to win, with slight adjustments to the model.
Both the classification of FedEx Express and the FedEx Ground Contractor model offers huge cost savings to FedEx in regards to Labor cost. This is very important to Mr. Smith.
That is what concerns me. The FedEx Express business model, while still great, is a model based upon business practices of the 1980s and 1990s. I have read that some analysts feel that this restructure is 10 years overdue.
While we promise "time", seems that customers today only really value "dollars". That isn't a secret, Mr. Smith has been talking about this for several months now.
Should we start to see a shrinking Domestic System (Express Domestic being switched to Ground) it is going to require continued growth in the International System to keep the musical chairs moving!
While we promise "time", seems that customers today only really value "dollars". That isn't a secret, Mr. Smith has been talking about this for several months now.
Should we start to see a shrinking Domestic System (Express Domestic being switched to Ground) it is going to require continued growth in the International System to keep the musical chairs moving!
10-04-2012, 06:56 PM
#54
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Jun 2006
Posts: 2,237
10-05-2012, 06:00 PM
#56
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Joined APC: Oct 2010
Position: B-777
Posts: 177
I hear in the instructors meeting they said:
They have changed their minds about the 727's and instead of keeping only 6 flying after peak with will keep 16 flying. The demand is higher.
There will be a small captain's excess bid on the 727 in January.
A bigger bid in March for mostly 757.
They plan to keep the same number of pilots as we have now. Just keeping up with retirements. So, 4600 or so indefinitely.
I think there will be changes, but no falling sky...especially if they need to keep more 727's around than planned (as I said, they had planned to only have 6 flying after peak)
They have changed their minds about the 727's and instead of keeping only 6 flying after peak with will keep 16 flying. The demand is higher.
There will be a small captain's excess bid on the 727 in January.
A bigger bid in March for mostly 757.
They plan to keep the same number of pilots as we have now. Just keeping up with retirements. So, 4600 or so indefinitely.
I think there will be changes, but no falling sky...especially if they need to keep more 727's around than planned (as I said, they had planned to only have 6 flying after peak)
10-06-2012, 03:38 AM
#59
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Joined APC: Nov 2006
Position: 767 FO
Posts: 8,047
Nah that was the old days and only if you counted what they skimmed out of the pension fund. You are thinking of what the teachers unions take from the taxpayers today. It is a little confusing but private sector unions just dont have the same opportunity for graft that the public sector unions have.
10-06-2012, 05:16 AM
#60
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Sep 2010
Position: B777 Capt
Posts: 614
Which is why public sector unions need to go away completely. They should be made illegal at all levels of government.
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