Originally Posted by accumulator

I am a FedEx senior aircraft maintenance technician based at LAX. I have been following this forum for some time to better understand issues that may be mutually inclusive between our two groups. Please allow me some political license if I am not up to the usual standard of banter.

The mechanics at FedEx have as I’m sure most of you are aware, begun an aggressive campaign to organize with the Teamsters Union. In fact some of your peers have spoken at our rallies. My question is, how does your group feel about us organizing and can we expect any kind of support or lack of? Curiously, why is there no conversation about this topic in this forum? Is this subject not talked about in your ranks?

The main driving motivator for our group to organize besides the obvious, is the freezing of our defined benefit pension plan that was replaced with a portable cash balance plan without our support. Please don’t argue the pro and con of different types of pension plans, suffice it to say that the issue is the benefit was changed without notice or approval, causing a severe rift between company and labor. Of course the only labor group within FedEx that retained its defined benefit pension plan happens to be the only group that is organized. This should be proof enough that a contract is the only guarantee that benefits can not be changed unless negotiated. But the struggle is long and hard and there is much internal turmoil along with the usual pressures from management.

What is the feeling among the pilots? I welcome any discussion on this topic.. Regards. Accumulator