I just got through reading "The World is Flat" and it has got me fired up about our future. Fedex has an opportunity to own the freight business in Europe, provided we hit it solid from day one of this expansion. Asia is great right now but we're scratching the surface. We need the right kind of planes and the right kind of pilots. This does not need to be a short-term commitment from ANYBODY, pilots included.


In my humble opinion:

1. Call off the LOA vote. It ain't going to pass and it doesn't need to.

2. Set up a committee - ALPA and company reps, consisting of pilots who will likely go over there. Better yet, two committees, one for each domicile.

3. Give them three months to come up with packages that will entice people to move over, set up their families and kick ass for the company from the first day we operate. Senior to mid-level guys/gals. Pilots with families. Pilots who will make it work from day one.

4. Bring the pilot force a good LOA (or better yet two). Say, "This is what we need to do this. We are willing to bid it and make it work. We know you probably wouldn't go over there for this package, but that's o.k. Vote yes and we will go - and our company will get bigger, and we'll all prosper."

This could be a pivotal point in our company's history, if the leaders of FDX and ALPA will grab it and run. We could all benefit - think postal contract, how it gave us all a boost. But we have to go big. We have to own CDG like we own the Purple Planet......

 

That's just it..FDX doesn't need to..they can just put a bid out under the CBA..and guess what? i personally think guys would bid it and fill every slot...i know guys researching places to live and they say they are voting no...remember this is the fdx crewforce...200% and disputed pairings!!!!!!!!!!! jeesh....i am still voting no!

 

You are right about one thing. It's not going to pass.

The rest is a nice dream IMHO.

Wonder what the insurance ramifications are if they try to staff these bases with junior folks?

 

Man - can I get some of what you been smokin?

They will do this as cheap as they can and they think their are enough in this company that will do it for the offer they have thrown out there, hell some will do it for nothing

The only way to fix things is a resounding NO vote and let them come up with a better offer.

I am not against the LOA because of the $$. It is not the company's job to pay your house payment. I am opposed because of the give backs - SIBA replaced with a 3 month involuntary stay in your favorite country and wording that is way too much open to interpretation

 

Huck ... now there you go thinking like a modern age professional manager. If I've learned anything during my time at FedEx it's that if the company wants my opinion on ANYTHING, they'll ask me for opinion, and they'll tell me in advance what my opinion is.

I'm not saying you are wrong ... quite the contrary. I find it quite odd that a company as hugely successful as this one isn't MUCH more receptive to ideas from the peanut gallery. Just as an example, the now much envied Japanese auto industry permits ANY worker to shut down the assembly line if they see a problem. It keeps their quality control and reliability very high.

Around here, NOBODY wants our input. THEY know better, just ask them. Several times over the years I've walked myself into training, flight management, standards with an idea for a better way to do something. Every time I was told they weren't interested (BEFORE THEY EVER HEARD MY IDEA!) WEIRD!

A very strange way to operate a company?


Mark

 

If anyone thinks that the opinions on this website are anywhere close to the majority at Fedex, you all need a drug test.


There are way too many lemmings at this company that

A. Won't bother educating themselves on this LOA

B. or Won't bother voting for or against this LOA

C. or Will read the union's majority opinion of this LOA and think that it is the deal of the century.

It truely is a sad state of affairs.......

 

Huck....all great ideas but to them we are simply high speed truckers who are a pain in the a$$ to work with. There are lots of people who get really big bonuses to make sure we get as little as possible. "Nothing personal, it's just business". Heard that one before?

 

I totally agree Huck, I think we have an obligation to inform the so called "lemmings" who are apathetic to this issue and every issue we encounter in our careers here at FedEx. I've been on a trip and the majority of fellow crew members I've talked to about the LOA have no idea that there is an LOA out and what it entails. Once I've told them about it, they are engaged. We need to get the word it, after just a little research, it is obvious this is a bad deal all around for the pilot force. I think the first action is to defeat the LOA and then go from there. It is time to get the vote out, we are the only ones to blame if this travesty passes.

SD

 

No junior manning overseas. Ever. Screw the pay issues---this will kill us.

Please vote NO. The CBA is a better deal.

 

I passed through MEM today and found that the people on this board are not alone in their dislike for this LOA. BUT, I must agree that there were a remarkable number of people who knew nothing about it!

If you believe this LOA should fail, then we must not be afraid to engage each other in the crewroom. Not just your buds - engage everyone you can. This LOA will die if it is read. Hopefully the apathetic will not even vote!