Open Memo to United States Senate:
As a limited-government/free market grassroots advocacy organization, Citizen Outreach RARELY finds itself on the same side of public policy issues as organized labor. We oppose EFCA, support right-to-work, oppose prevailing wage, support paycheck protection, oppose project labor agreements, and support worker replacement during strikes.
I mention this only because some conservative, pro-business organizations have reflexively sided with FedEx over an amendment dealing with express delivery drivers in the FAA reauthorization bill. We have taken a different position – and it sure isn’t because we have Big Love for Big Labor.
As you know, the controversy in this matter has to do with a labor law reform provision (Section 806 of HR 915) which would place FedEx Express delivery drivers under the same labor law as every other delivery driver in the country, including UPS drivers.
FedEx Express has launched a misleading and disingenuous multi-million dollar PR and lobbying campaign to fool the public (and Congress) into believing this field-leveling provision amounts to a “bailout” for UPS. In fact, all it does is close an old, unintended loophole in the law that currently provides FedEx Express an unfair marketing advantage over its competitors.
A “bailout,” by any reasonable definition in this political climate, is the government providing taxpayer-funded financial assistance to a struggling company to help keep it afloat. This amendment provides no such financial assistance to UPS and UPS certainly is in no danger of going under.
Simply calling something a “bailout” doesn’t make it one.
And what does it say about one’s position on an issue if you need to distort and mislead the public and Members of Congress to advance it?
FedEx Express drivers are drivers, not pilots. And they should be covered under the same labor law as every other driver. This issue is simply one of fairness and equal protection under the law – two rock-solid American principles.
We respectfully urge the Senate to close the FedEx Express loophole when it passes the FAA reauthorization bill.
#1 by Chris on March 15th, 2010
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Excellent letter. Now if only everyone else had the common sense to see this whole situation for what it really is…And yes you are right. FEDEX has been screaming bailout from day one but last I checked UPS has enough cash on hand to sustain themselves for years if it ever got that bad. Why won’t more people call FEDEX out on their improper use of the word…It worries me that people are actually thinking that it is a bailout.
#2 by Vivien on March 15th, 2010
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This bill is only going after FedEx Express, not FedEx ground. I read that FedEx ground is already NLRA and has always had the option to unionize, and have always had to follow the same rules as UPS. So it seems UPS is only going after the small next day air service of FedEx, which truly is RLA if you ask me. They do pick up and deliver to airplanes everyday. I work next to these guys at the airport when I drive for UPS as an air driver. However UPS air does run it’s operations a bit differently than FedEx Express. I am to the point where things should be left well enough alone. Seeing as how UPS takes the air and then delivers it to ground drivers at a hub or center (a very small percentage is actually delivered by a UPS air driver however), I can see how FedEx by only using its Express drivers to deliver the air packages is different, and should remain under the RLA as they truly are a different company in it’s workings, and in my opinion that is what defines them as different from UPS.
#3 by judester on March 15th, 2010
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Fedex Express couriers do the same job as UPS and should be under the same labor laws as UPS..
#4 by Chris on March 16th, 2010
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Vivien – This is where you are wrong.
“They do pick up and deliver to airplanes everyday.”
Yes they do – but somebody has to sort it out, hence it does go the a hub or sort. These people have nothing to do with the airline therefore should not be covered under the RLA. Furthermore, the drivers picking up and delivering the the airplanes are not necessarily the drivers picking up and delivering the packages. These drivers never see the airplane at all. In that fashion it is the same as UPS. The only difference is UPS drivers deliver air and ground, the Fedex Ex drivers only have air to deliver. Keep this is mind – the Fedex driver is essentially claiming they take packages from the airplane and driver to your front door with them. Either way – the fact that he is DRIVING on the road makes his job nothing to do with an “airline” job.
#5 by Ron on March 17th, 2010
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This bill’s outcome will show the real current state of America. If passed without any harm to Fed-Ex, it will shine a spotlight on how our current government is corrupt and how far out of touch they are with middle class America. Where money and friends in politics get what they want over the betterment of it’s people. This bill is so black & white, that a 2 year old would tell you that protecting Fed-Ex is wrong. If Fred Smith gets his way here with his threats and lies, we are in more trouble than we know.
#6 by judester on March 20th, 2010
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I’ve been delivering for 11 years now and the closest I ever got to a Fedex express airplane was when it flew over me while I was golfing..
#7 by KDB on March 28th, 2010
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If any express employees for The Purple are tired of Fred Smith using the U.S. Congress as his personal lap dog, and keeping your wages artificially low, then I suggest you go to the Fedexaminer website, search for “PPBM”, and read about how to do something about it now.
thanks
KDB