Fly FDX,
I would have to agree with you in some cases it feels like we really don't work for FedEx - we must be contractors that just show up to fly the airplanes for them (really bizarre in fact!). Having said that, on an individual basis, I've met alot of ramp people who are friendly to the local pilot group.
One of the problems with DEN is that the cargo side of the field is considered part of the SIDA (Security IDentification Area), so everyone that enters has to have a special DEN SIDA Badge or be escorted. To the average DEN ramper, we're just a pain in the *ss, always having to be let in and out by them swiping their badges in the door readers.
One solution to this annoyance is that all pilots that commute out of DEN should be issued their own SIDA badge. The process requires you to fill out a form that is signed by a supervisor at the DEN Ramp, make an appointment and go over to the office that provides the badges and watch a security video, get your picture taken and get your DEN ID [It really is a pain in the *ss process!]. Everyone that works there does this - except for the FDX DEN commuters! (Oh, and btw, you have to go back to this office every year and watch the silly video to renew your badge.)
The reason (as I've been told) that the DEN commuters can't get a DEN SIDA badge, is that the DEN ramp doesn't want to hassle with filling out the forms for all of us. What they don't realize is, is that that would be short term pain for long term gain. They are thinking from the perspective of their own employee turnover creates alot of new faces to authorize and cancel throughout the year. They're not realizing that the pilot group is very static - we don't have alot of pilots being hired and then quitting, etc.
Now on to the parking lot - The DEN ramp has a budget for leasing parking spaces from the DEN airport. They chose not to pay for anymore spaces than they thought they would need to accomodate their ground personnel when they built their own lot. (They even spend alot of money on an electronic gate system to keep the pilots from parking in that lot!)
Flt Ops asked for them to make the lot large enough to accommodate some of the 200+ Front Range commuters (not sure about how many spaces they calculated we might need on average), I believe, even offering to throw money at it. No agreement could be reached, other than the dozen or so spots they initially provided in front of the building.