Thursday, May 29, 2008

DHL And UPS Deal ...

May 28,2008.

DHL and UPS have announced of a contract between the two companies of transferring DHL Express "air lift" functions within North America to UPS. Under this deal DHL will pay UPS $1 Billion a year for 10 years.

A spokesman for Memphis, Tenn.-based FedEx Corp., Maury Lane, declined to say whether his company sought the air transport arrangement that DHL announced Wednesday that it was working out with Atlanta-based UPS.

"The reason they chose UPS over FedEx -- we don't know this -- but UPS probably gave them a better price," Ross said.

FedEx Watch Dogs have learn through sources at DHL,the reason FedEx did not get a chance to get into this deal was because of the Union community,both companies are unionized.Dealing with non-union companies was not a option!

So FedEx lost out on $1 Billion a year,because they refuse to let their employees organize! This loss, of some great revenue was Corporates doing. Not the drivers, dock worker or office personnel. I wonder if our shareholders are going to suspend the upper brass without pay???

Read More about this deal: Click Here

Sunday, May 25, 2008

Questions & Answers

The Following is from the New FedEx Mechanics Website, which pertains to all FedEx Corp. Divisions who would like to Organize:

Q: How Can The Teamsters Help Us To Secure Our Benefits and Turn Around The Benefit Loss Trend At FedEx?

In recent years we have seen a dramatic loss of our benefits. Incentive and bonus pay have been cut, we pay more for our health benefits and our defined benefit pension is being completely frozen for those of us on the payroll now and eliminated for all new hires. With a strong Teamsters union we will gain the ability to negotiate a binding, legally enforceable contract that protects our benefits and other work standards that we care about. All our top managers negotiate contracts to protect their standard of living—why shouldn’t we gain this same right for ourselves and our families?

Q. Why Are The Teamsters The Best Union For FedEx Express Employees?

The Teamsters are America’s largest and most powerful union with more than 1.4 million members in over 400 local unions across the country. The Teamsters represent more than 240,000 workers at UPS where workers in our craft have better pay, benefits and working conditions—all contained in a legally binding contract to protect these advantages. The Teamsters successfully represent over 18,000 mechanics who maintain and repair aircraft. The Teamsters successfully represent tens of thousands of ground service equipment, vehicle technicians and other mechanics in our class and craft. There is no other union with the experience, success and strength that the Teamster offer.

Q: How can forming a union give us an effective voice and control over our benefits and working conditions?

Once we form a union we gain an effective voice in our working conditions and benefits. That’s why we have adopted the slogan “United We Bargain, Divided We Beg.” With a union, management cannot legally make unilateral changes that decrease our benefits and make our working conditions worse. Any changes in our negotiated contract must be approved by us. When we form a union, the aviation mechanics, GSE’s, VT’s and other workers in our class and craft will determine our priorities, elect a negotiating committee and bargain with the company to make positive changes and to secure our existing benefits.

Q: Have Other FedEx Employees Formed Unions?

The FedEx Express pilots formed a union and have negotiated a contract that protects their benefits. While management has unilaterally changed our working conditions and benefits for the worse—the pilots have protected their working conditions and benefits through their binding union contract. In Europe FedEx is a highly unionized company and FedEx deals regularly with unions. European FedEx employees doing the kind of work we do have better benefits and working conditions! Why are we being treated like second class citizens?

Q: How much power do the Teamsters have to help us?

The Teamsters have vast resources that will place us on a more equal level with FedEx as we work to improve and secure our benefits and working conditions including:

* Researchers
* Negotiators
* Economic analysts
* Benefit experts
* A network of attorneys
* Organizers and campaigners
* Media experts
* Lobbyists
* Political action staff

The Teamsters have huge political capacity and a strong track record of getting things done on Capitol Hill. The Teamsters have the 4th largest union PAC fund and the 8th largest PAC fund of all PACS in America—giving us great political power.

The Teamsters can call upon the 6 million member Change to Win Coalition, a powerful US Coalition of some of the largest US unions. And the International Transport Federation, an international coalition of transportation unions representing 4.5 million members that include FedEx unions.

Q: What About Union Dues?

Union dues are 2.5 times our base rate of pay (base pay rate excludes all premium pay) once a month. For example, if a member’s base rate of pay is $28.13 (base rate for a Sr. AMT), his monthly dues rate will be 2.5 of that or $70.32 per month. We do not pay any dues until the first contract is ratified and there is no initiation fee or any other fees or assessments. The Teamsters is 100% funded by members—the Union accepts no money from outside sources in order to protect its integrity and independence. Union dues go directly to paying for the costs of running the union and representing members.

Q: How will the Teamsters protect my job from being outsourced?

The greatest threat to our job security is outsourcing. The Teamsters have negotiated strong scope language in many of their contracts that successfully protects jobs from outsourcing.

The Teamsters are waging a multi-faceted war on the outsourcing of jobs in this country, from the aviation industry to manufacturing plants. In the aviation industry in particular, thousands of jobs have been lost due to outsourcing practices that also often pose serious safety and homeland security risk. The Teamsters are working in Congress, in powerful coalitions, in policy forums and in the public arena to correct a system that haphazardly permits thousands of good, skilled jobs to be lost.

Q: What Is The Process For Forming A Union?


The law that covers our campaign to form a union is the Railway Labor Act. Here’s the process:

1. Gain Majority Support. We must talk to our co-workers and gain the support of the majority.
2. File An Application With the National Mediation Board. Once we collect enough signed authorization cards we can petition for an election with the National Mediation Board, a neutral governmental agency.
3. Scheduling the election. After we file the petition, the Board will verify the cards and order an election. The voters receive voting instructions through the mail and then can vote either by phone or by internet. Usually an election is held within 30 days after the petition is filed—but there are ways that the Company can slow down the process.
4. To win, the majority of workers in the class and craft unit must vote for a union. If a majority of the workers vote in the election, then the Board will certify the Union to be our collective bargaining representative if a majority of those ballots are cast in favor of the Union.
5. Determine Bargaining Priorities, Elect a Negotiating Committee and Begin Bargaining With FedEx Over Our Important Concerns

Q: What Can I Do and Not Do To Campaign For The Union?

It is your legal right to take action to form a union. However, you need to do your job 100% and not let your activities to form a union interfere with your work in any way. It is illegal for FedEx to interfere with your right to organize. You have the legal right to wear union insignia and talk about the union while at work(so long as you are permitted to talk with your co-worker about other subjects). The distribution of written materials should be done during break times or before or after work. If you feel that the Company is violating your freedom to form a union please call us immediately.

Q: Why Is FedEx Against Us Forming A Union?

During our campaign to form a union FedEx will spew misinformation about the Teamsters in order to get us to vote against our own self-interest. We understand that FedEx has even hired a special consultant to “keep the union out.” The bottom line is that FedEx would rather have total control of our pensions and health benefits rather than having to negotiate these items with us. We believe that forming a union will be good for FedEx because taking care of people first is the management philosophy that built this company. You don’t have to be against FedEx to be pro-union!

Q: What If I Am Harassed On The Job For Trying to Form A Union?

You have the right to organize under federal law! Click here to read about your rights and to download an incident report to document any company harassment.

Q: Who Else Has Joined The Teamsters Recently?

Since the beginning of this year, the Teamsters have welcomed more than 25,000 new members in industries important to us. In particular the Teamsters have organized over 10,000 UPS Freight workers and 9,000 United Airline mechanics and other related workers. If these groups can form a union—why can’t we?

BE WISE AND ORGANIZE!

Monday, May 19, 2008

Shareholders latest to sue FedEx over drivers

This article comes from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette ,Friday, May 09, 2008,By Ann Belser.

FedEx's use of independent contractors has come under fire again, this time by shareholders.

The company already is fighting a multidistrict litigation class action lawsuit from its ground unit drivers. It also has been assessed $319 million in penalties by the IRS for not paying payroll taxes on those drivers whom the government said were misclassified. And it lost a case on its classification of drivers in California, which has forced it to change its route system.

The latest lawsuit was filed yesterday in Memphis, Tenn., on behalf of the Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 51 Pension Fund, which holds shares of FedEx as part of the fund.

READ MORE CLICK HERE:

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

204H ...

In the past few weeks,Employees were sent a packet explaining what and how the new pension plan was going to work, which starts in June of this year. At the very end of the packet is a statement required by the government called, "Notice of Benefit Reduction Under ERISA Section 204(h)" .

Section 659 of the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001, Public Law 107-16 (115 Stat. 38) (EGTRRA) added section 4980F of the Code. Section 4980F imposes an excise tax when a plan administrator fails to provide timely notice of plan amendments that provide for a significant reduction in the rate of future benefit accrual. A reduction of an early retirement benefit or a retirement-type subsidy is also treated, for purposes of section 4980F of the Code, as a reduction in the rate of future benefit accrual. Section 659(b) of EGTRRA also amended section 204(h) of ERISA to treat the elimination of an early retirement benefit or a retirement-type subsidy as a reduction in the rate of future benefit accrual. The Job Creation and Worker Assistance Act of 2002, Public Law 107-147 (116 Stat. 21) included certain technical corrections to section 659 of EGTRRA.

This my Brothers and Sisters is the company redefining the "Purple Promise" as Corporate First! Employees come next, only to keep them from organizing. Have another hot dog!

Sunday, May 4, 2008

Quid Pro Quo

A "past practice" means things that have happened in the past, some employees have received disciplinary actions and some terminations. Some don’t get disciplinary action or get terminated.
Example at FedEx Frt. west, there has been drivers that have been fired for a D.U.I after court conviction has been giving, and now there is a driver that has had one, and didn’t get fired especially being a role model, but place in a different group and service center.
Now if those drivers that got fired for their D.U.I conviction got word of this and file a Labor Board charge against FedEx, the Arbitrator would rule on a past practice and those drivers would file a law suit after.
Managers have gotten fired for taking bribes in return for not firing a “favorite employee” or who is now called a “preferred employee”, that’s also a past practice.
There is word that this is happening in the southern region, once we have proof of this, we are not taking this to human resource, but to the Labor Board and the Equal Employees, Opportunity Commission, is this justice, or Quid Pro Quo?

Friday, May 2, 2008

What Can You Expect From Management?

Now that we’re joining together, here’s what we can expect to hear from management...

When workers form a union, they gain a voice in decisions that affect their jobs, their future and their families. Unfortunately, management doesn’t always like the idea of sharing the decision making with employees. So management’s first reaction may be to make a lot of misleading statements to try to convince you not to join together.

Knowing what to expect from management will help you stay focused on your real goal—winning a voice on the job and a say in your future.

This is what managers often say when workers form a union:

Management: “A union is a third party that will come between us.”

Fact: Our union is a democratic, member-run organization. When you form a union, you’ll work together to govern your own organization. And every contract will be reviewed and approved by a majority of the employees where you work.

Management: “The union will make you go on strike.”

Fact: Strikes are a rare last resort in contract negotiations—more than 95 percent of Teamster contracts are negotiated without a strike. And no strike will happen unless a majority of workers vote to call one.

Management: “If you form a union, you risk losing the benefits and pay raises you already have.

Fact: It is illegal for a company to freeze or cut previously scheduled raises to discourage you from forming a union. Once you’re organized, you’ll lock in our current wages and benefits and then negotiate improvements from there. All of you will get an opportunity to review your proposed contract before you vote to approve it. Obviously, you’re not going to approve a contract that cuts our wages or benefits.

Management: “The union just wants your dues money.”

Fact: As newly organized Teamsters, you won’t pay dues until you’ve negotiated and voted to approve your first contract—and decided for yourselves whether it’s worth it. (Teamster pilot groups are the exception; in 1998, pilots requested that their dues begin the month after voting to become Teamsters.) Every serious organization—churches, clubs, sporting leagues, and similar organizations—has to have some kind of funding, and unions are no different. Dues pay for the costs of having an organization—contract negotiations, grievances and arbitrations, training for members, legal fees, and other things so no one has to go it alone.

Management: “With a union, you won’t be allowed to talk to your supervisor—you’ll have to go through the union.”


Fact: Teamsters have found that having a union strengthens communication between employees and supervisors. Direct relationships with immediate supervisors continue and you can negotiate to retain any good policy and procedures already in place. The advantage of joining together in a union is that you’re able to make your voices heard at the upper levels of management, where key decisions are made.

Management: “The improvements we’re willing to make right now show that you don’t need a union.”

Fact: It’s great that management is responding to your concerns. It shows that when you join together, your voices are heard. By forming a union, you can make sure this progress is not just short term—you’ll build an ongoing dialogue with management on all your issues. You'll also have peace of mind with a union—since the improvements you agree on will be guaranteed in your union contract.

Keep in mind that it’s normal for some tension to arise when workers start to build a union. But the tension is temporary. After you vote to form a union, management gets used to the idea of you having a voice on the job.

No matter what management says, stay focused on your shared goals—to make your workplace the best possible place to work.

ATTENTION ALL WESTERN FEDEX FREIGHT MANAGEMENT

ATTENTION ALL WESTERN FEDEX FREIGHT MANAGEMENT! To put an end to all of the so-called rumors, we invite all managers to an open forum with a Teamster Representative to discuss the pro’s and con’s of the Union. We will have the forum in a neutral location, in which employees will be able to attend.

If any of you will accept our invitation, please leave your Name, Position, and Domicile as a comment to this post.

Please do not leave a comment if you are not Management.