I’ve been at 4 different domiciles and 5 types at UPS. I’ve been an FO and Capt. I’ve lived in base and commuted.

1. Anyone calling our lifestyle toxic is engaging in hyperbole. Our pilots are happy. UPS corporate culture is to reward you with pay and benefits. You won’t get your bags carried for you here though.

2. FedEx pilots love to bash UPS because it makes them feel better about themselves. Their union sucks and they have cost both pilot groups a lot of money. Our facilities are new at the hubs.

3. Management pilots are non union and that truly sucks. I’ve never had issues and they can only fly by displacing union pilots under nearly all non-peak scenarios.

Screw ALPA and screw any FDX guy who thinks he knows anything about current work culture. The furlough sucked but our guys came back to the best contract in the industry. Nobody took a mandatory pay cut at Ups like FedEx did. Both are great jobs, no doubt, but I would choose the IPA 100 out of 100. But if you want to go fly a 757 to the same cities in the same schedule for 70% of the pay go to FedEx.

This ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

What motivates you to bash FedEx?

Pot, Kettle



I wonder if your furloughees felt like they weren't taking a mandatory pay cut. As long as it didn't affect YOUR paycheck, right?

Do you blame ALPA for that, too?


You don't come across as happy as you say you are. There's a distinct hint of bitter in there.






.

Tony,

You may want to read a little deeper into some of the threads Ray has contributed to. He’s far and away one of the most positive UPS posters on APC. It’s not that he’s bashing Fedex, he’s just 109% IPA and supports this group. He’s extremely helpful to wanna-bes and to those of us on property.

I was called to interview by Fedex when I was in my second week of Basic Indoc at UPS. In my situation, there was no appreciable benefit to leave Brown for Purple, so I sent KD a thanks but no thanks email. In hindsight, it’s probably the smartest thing I’ve ever done for my career. I’ve enjoyed the hiring boom over at UPS for a few years now and my seniority is starting to benefit from it. Our crews at UPS are tremendous and it’s a great IPA culture. Show up to work, do your job and go home. Leave work at work and you’ll have an extremely satisfying career.

Like most here have said, if you have the choice, you’ll be a very lucky person. I don’t envy anyone for having to make that decision.

I would say that claiming, "FedEx pilots love to bash UPS because it makes them feel better about themselves", is pilot bashing. And untrue. I think we feel a large amount of camaraderie with UPS pilots.

As far as, "Screw ALPA and screw any FDX guy who thinks he knows anything about current work culture. The furlough sucked but our guys came back to the best contract in the industry. Nobody took a mandatory pay cut at Ups like FedEx did." The "mandatory pay cut" that is being referenced must be the cut in hours that some pilots on certain aircraft had during the economic downturn so junior pilots would not be furloughed. I would have preferred that the cut in hours to be implemented across the board, but I would do it again in a heartbeat to avoid people being furloughed. I have been furloughed at a major before, and it sucks.

As far as the management pilots, well, IPA may be an amazing union, but allowing that to happen....particularly hiring management pilots while others were being furloughed, would be pretty hard to forgive. Pretty easy to say it's no big deal because they came back to a great contract, when you aren't the one who was furloughed.

I don't know him from Adam and am only commenting on this post, not his posting history. I would suggest shielding your eyes from his halo and reading the post on its own merits. While there are a few positive points made, there is a strong anti-ALPA theme, and the unfortunate failure to acknowledge the suffering of the furloughees.

Your post, on the other hand, is very positive and, in my opinion, serves to answer the OP's question and provide him useful material to consider should he be so lucky to get to choose. I think we can all relate pros and cons of both companies without resorting to bashing each other.

I probably wouldn't have said anything had not the "They only bash us because ..." accusation been followed by bashing. That strikes me as hypocritical and makes my keyboard light up.

Sorry for interrupting the UPS thread.






.

If you get to make a choice, consider this ...

Do you want to work for a trucking company that doesn't like airplanes ?

Or do you want to work for an airline that bought trucking companies ?

That's not bashing either one, but it explains a lot about the company differences.

FedEx ALPA does not have a high opinion of the IPA. It’s one thing to choose not to work together. It’s quite another to actively work against us.

The anti-UPS points made on this thread have little merit. I was simply highlighting why some FDX pilots would post such things.

Then there’s scope, otherwise known as the ticking time bomb at FDX.

If aircraft accident rates are a concern, go UPS.

What a horrible contribution to the thread.