Saturday, July 12, 2008

In Response To The Companies Union Buster's Article In The Upcoming "Independent Times" aka Human Resource Part Two

Why Give Control to the Union?

Unions don't take control.They help employees have a voice in the work place. They help us with a grievance procedure to keep management in line, wait. The union are the members/employees, is that what you mean Tom, giving the employees control? And making sure seniority is in place for bids,routes and overtime, "No Favoritism"!
The ones who want to keep full control is management. You have seen this happen.Controlling overtime. Giving hours to jr. dockworkers and sending senior workers home. Right Andy?

People Are First at FedEx Freight

If people are first here at FedEx,then why are part time employees made to transfer from Whittier to San Bernardino to keep their jobs. And a week after the opening of SBO management at Whittier are asking employees there if they know of anyone looking for part time work come in and apply???
Someone at Whittier forgot to tell management that "people are first" Tom.

Be Involved and Stay Informed

Is being informed mean when dispatch calls a driver from another terminal and ask if a driver he knows is talking to a organizer.Is this staying inform?
This is a form of S.P.I.T.
S - Spying
P - Promising
I - Interrogating
T - Threatening
This is all against the law when there is known Organizing!

Why Talk About the Teamsters?

Because in the last 18 months, they have organized UPS Freight, 11,200 employees the goal is 12,600. Can they all be wrong Tom? With a total of 50,000 workers through out the United States! To help the working men and women of this great country.
Now thats putting "People First" Tom. Not Corporate CEO's severance packages!

How owns wwww.unionfreeamerica.com?

David Denholm is the longtime president of both organizations,3 and is known for his extremist views on unions. In addition to being featured regularly in right-wing media, Denholm owns the website, www.unionfreeamerica.com.4 The website provides tips on getting rid of a union at your worksite, urges readers to pressure Congress to oppose the Employee Free Choice Act, and sells anti-union stickers and t-shirts.

Denholm has taken some shocking positions, as for instance when he joined with other conservatives in honoring the notorious Roberto D’Aubuisson. D’Aubisson was linked to the murder of thousands in El Salvador, including union leaders, priests, politicians, and teachers

How owns www.unionfacts.com?

Richard “Rick” Berman.
Role of Center for Union Facts in the Anti-Union Network

The Center is the latest public relations campaign and front group devised by “notorious D.C. lobbyist”1 and veteran spin doctor Richard “Rick” Berman with his firm, Berman and Company.

The Center for Union Facts is a front group focused on damaging the public image of unions, depressing workers’ rights, pushing legislation that would make it more difficult for workers to join unions, and furthering an anti-union business climate.

21 comments:

Anonymous said...

That was a nice point-by-point response. I think my favorite part of the letter was the "People Are First at FedEx Freight" section. However, I think all the people whose jobs are being eliminated might think differently.

Some key phrases caught my attention:

1) "Unions have never been needed..."

Of course not. What use would the company have for a union?? Hello?
It's we employees who have need of a union.

2) "...where employees are fairly treated."

Really? Fair in whose eyes? In fact, who defined 'fair'?

3) "...open communication between employees and management has been the key..."

I wonder if they mean the open communication the Human Resources people had with the Tacoma employee who was told to drive against doctor’s orders, and when he complained, was told that according to his file he is a discipline problem. That must be what they mean about open communication. We speak; you listen.

4)"'to 'working together'..."

I like how the term has quotation marks around it denoting irony...I was thinking the same thing.

5) "Unions don't guarantee an improvement in anything..."

No. That's true. The reps have made no guarantees for improvement, but they have offered to help us to attain the tools we need in order to make improvements for ourselves as a team.

6) "Working together is still our best option."

I agree, and I'm happy to see so many people at the union meetings working together!

Anonymous said...

i received the fedex newsletter at my home and i thought tom suchevits was trying to mislead me into not supporting a union but tom says in the company newsletter that a union puts choices into the hands of a few. i think the union puts the direction of the company into the hands of the employees. we are treated like slaves now we have no voice in the workplace now so what is the difference and we are harrassed and terrorized by supervisors for doing nothing wrong. this is going on at whittier constant harassment of hourly employees name calling by supervisors and cursing by supervisors too. also tom says fedex is people first. that is a lie look at the people who have been hurt on the job at whittier and have to fight for respect from andy and his crew. there is outright favortism and preferred employees at whittier too. i wasn't union before but now i support the union because i am tired of hearing the management lie to me with their preprogrammed responses treating me like a child and yelling at me like a slave.
GO UNION NOW

Anonymous said...

Hey Tom remember 1776, "FREEDOM". This is AMERICA land of the FREE, not COMMUNISM. Way to go on your article of the Independent Times and you are absolutly right FedEx is next, I was there with James P.Hoffa. I will make lots of copys of your article and highlite your website and pass it on. Thank you for the organizing boost, I owe you one, sincerly Joe Nuño.

Anonymous said...

Wow Tom really put his foot in his mouth, on the last comment, when they start passing copys of the article pass it to UPS packaging,federal express packaging and fedex LTL and fedex ground plus all other master frt carriers!!

Anonymous said...

Tom before backing anti-union websites to make a point. Maybe you should do alittle homework.
These guys are real losers !

Anonymous said...

well you can see that Tom and the rest of his Fedex corp buddy only want us from the neck down!.

Anonymous said...

Labor is Irresitible. It Bores Through, Splits and Moves Mountians, Promotes Civilization and Demands Justice for the Humblest of Humankind. It Protects the Weak, Administers to the Afflicted and Strives Always for the BROTHERHOOD of Man With an Energy That Never Tires. In the End Its Policies Will Previal.

Anonymous said...

I just e-mail that hr article to all my east coast connections and they cannot believe how disperate this makes the company look.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Anonymous said...

Why is Tom so concern about the Freechoice Act? When they sould be worring about other issues. For example making the numbers in Devore before the first quater of this service center. Devore monthly payments are 6 hundred thousand dollars per month which will equal 2.4 million dollars just for rent, plus the operation ratio. Now is Devore producing revenue to justify our profits? Well I hope John & Russ can keep those numbers up. I tip my hat to Russ cause he is trying very hard, for a service center manager to come this past sunday and run the break bulk is dedication. But I say for a man in his position he should have his asst-terminal manager or OM and supervisor run the facility, is this the time to worry now? Now Tom from HR, you gave us a couple of websites so that we can compare Apples to Apples, but I don't agree to your thoughts and I don't support a notorious killer. Your article shows me your true colors, promoting David Denholm and Roberto D'Abussiòn a muder. Is this your way thinking, using muscle thugs and scaring pro-union believers? Godsped Tom from non-union believer to a union believer and a Freechoice act believer.

Anonymous said...

Whoever you are, Joe Nuno, you go, brother!!

irudedog said...

comment on July 15, 2008 12:07 PM has not been confirmed.

Sorry,
The Administrator

Anonymous said...

It is time for the Union at Fedex Freight and time for the employees to take back control of their own careers and life choices and ignore the Fedex Mangement Team's lies. The Union will protect our jobs and not take away medical coverage for working families. I read in the employee handbook that Fedex says it offers competitive wages and benefits and why is it that the east makes more money per hour than the west when now we are doing the same work measurements as the east? And why is Fedex now trying to eliminate full timer's benefits? What is going on? Lets meet now and discuss these changes and a Union hall.

Anonymous said...

Everyone knows Fedex has a nasty reputation for being one of the Walmart type businesses and they abuse their employees by raping benefits from them and paying them with a substandard amount per hour such as minimum wage. Fedex is trying to take advantage of the weak economy and eliminate employees medical insurance, creating astronomical unpractical work standard measurements the employees with never be able to reach with the small sort the west does and the east does back there. Fedex is trying to make a hostile fast paced work environment in which people will be injured because of the fast paced speed they are forced to work. Workers will also become frustrated and become angry with each other trying to accomplish these 5000 lbs of freight per hour. Fedex is one of the 100 most admired companies? These magazines must be bought off or they are asking the investors who are making money off the backs of the Fedex employees. Fedex treats their employees like second hand sweatshop slaves. We need to go Union and improve our working conditions and create a better atmosphere to work in which excludes harassment from management, better work measurement standards, and a better future buy ensuring our medical benefits and giving medical insurance to part time and full time employees. What a lie it was about the 401k estimator the company put out!!! Everyone's 401k is now taking a direct turn for the worst. I have personally lost 20% of my 401k. That is not a retirement option. But I guarantee a Union pension is better and the Fedex pension sucks. Under the fedex pension plan newly put out onto the employees I stand to make less money when I retire than with the old Fedex pension. That is what Fedex management think about their employees. They must think we are garbage because that is what they treat us like. Since Fedex has bought the company they have done nothing but try to create an atmosphere of discontent with the employees and when they say people first they must be talking about the customers cause they sure as hell aren't talking about their own employees!!! Also it should be said I would have rather been paying Union dues guaranteeing my job, medical insurance, and receiving a Union pension than having Fedex so called investing my money into something they never fully explained to me where my money went and now it is gone. The Union has been pretty right on through this whole campaign and Fedex management has done nothing but continually lie to me. I don't trust a single one of the management and their boat load of lies. Please get your hand out of my pocket Fedex. I thought you Fedex management said the Union was going to do that I guess its just more of a hidden agenda and some more hypocrisy from you guys.

Anonymous said...

'Competitive Wages,' brother, while sounding nifty, neat-o, and cool, is just what the word says. They are not competing with other companies in the industry to pay the highest wages; they are competing to pay the lowest wages that will keep the employees from walking out the door.

The thing is, the company is not telling lies. Remember, they could dig themselves a giant legal hole if they start doing that. They are going to talk in euphemisms and make implications. But, remember, they are telling you the way it is; you just have to pay attention. I suggest you make friends with a person who has a strong understanding of the English language and help each other out to decode the wall of...code words blocking the way. The answers are all in front of us; we just need to read them properly.

There is no conspiracy. We can do this; they are telling us what they are offering, and it's not even close to being pay for a fair day's work. We're better than that! We're American workers!

Anonymous said...

I am tired of Fedex treating me like a second class person. I want to keep my benefits and respect. If Fedex can't respect me at work at least let me keep my medical insurance. Let's go Union Teamsters, before it's too late. Let's meet at the Teamster Local Now......

Anonymous said...

Is it true employees at STK and SAC are being made to get a class A liscense or lose their benefits???????? Anybody heard anything let me now. I want to meet at the Union Local and talk about what's going on.......

irudedog said...

We have heard of this thing happening in those areas and have also heard this will be going on also in the southern California region.

Anonymous said...

I have heard of this happening at the class 2 and 3 service centers now. When I ask manager how long till happen here they say I don't know maybe it will happen maybe it wont. I say I cant live on no maybe. I dont want to maybe not have insurance for my family. This is not fair all the years of dedication to the company and be treated like this now. I thought Fedex was supposed to make things better for us not worse but nothing good happened in a long time at this company. I think we need to go Union Teamsters to help our future and for our familys too. I say we are in this together all of us and when we vote and sign up we either win together or lose together it is our decision not the company's. Have a good day my future brother Teamsters.
Teamsters 4 Life

Anonymous said...

I heard LOS terminal has been losing benefits and all clerical support will be part time as of Jan. 1, 2009 is this true?

Anonymous said...

We need a Union bad in Whittier. This compny has gone from a good place to work to somewhere people dread going into now. Who knows what is going to happen next maybe we will lose our jobs and you can't believe anything Andy tells you. It is a shame because this was once a great company but I see now we have to make it better. We have to go Union.