Originally Posted by
pipe
Rock and FDXLAG take note. This is how you make a cogent argument on the yes side.
Pipe, if you add up all my posts in the last couple weeks you might end up with something as long as Albie's post here. And you will see the same reasons for voting yes.
1. It's a personal decision based on my lifestyle at FedEx (commuting 757/FO)
2. It's business. I have crunched the numbers. This TA significantly improves my short term finances, which allows me to continue to build for my long term retirement.
3. We don't have the leverage many no voters think we have. Primarily because we don't own the negotiating process and we don't own Fred Smith's bank account.
4. It will take 1-2 years to see another TA (I lean toward 2)
5. I don't believe the next NC will be any more qualified than the current. And I believe the current is both highly qualified, and after four years, unmatchable in their knowledge of all the parameters of our contract.
6. Based on 3, 4, and 5, I don't expect a 1-2 year wait to glean much more than we already got. And for reason 2, and how I run my financial (short and long term) planning, that means I probably won't recoup the loses incurred by waiting.
What I don't have is Albie's practical experience with internal operations in the MEC and NC. So instead of telling people what I expect based on what I've observed, I've been asking them for their expectations based on their experience. The responses to that have, as much as anything else, convinced me to vote yes on this TA. I am not swayed by emotional pleas about what we deserve. I have been in real world situations that have taught me what an actual slap in the face or kick in the gut is. I have learned that trusting ANY company or institution with MY retirement is a fool's game, and have long ago put the responsibility of building my retirement planning into my own hands. And finally, I don't care if FedEx pays us $1000 an hour or $10 an hour. I don't allow my employer to define "what I'm worth". I've walked away more than once from an employer because I thought I could do better elsewhere. A professional handshake, a note of appreciation for hiring me in the first place, and a step forward into the next adventure. If I hated FedEx (and now our union) as much as some of the comments I read from posters on this site indicate, I would have walked long ago. Life is too short.
I don't remember the last time I voted on the winning side of any election. Taking a look at the mess we currently have in D.C., I'm comfortable with who I voted for and why I voted for them, even if they never seem to win. If that trend continues with this vote, I will do what I always do. Protect my personal resources as best I can from people who think they know more about them than I do, continue enjoying my family, and wait for the next opportunity to vote. Lather, rinse, repeat.