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FedEx Freight | Our Deeply FLawed Pay Scales (GPD)

Mework said:
Yes we are. maybe 2-3 times a year we will be offered OT. But it's usually 2-4 hrs each time.
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Just curious, would mechanics be open to working a rotating schedule that included working weekends? I understand that parts wouldn't be available on Sun's but one would think you guys could get a lot accomplished without the interruption of drivers.
I once worked in a shop for another carrier back in my younger days and we worked a rotating schedule...and I loved it!! We pulled 4/11's with four hours of OT every week and had to work weekends when the rotation came around but having Thur-Sun off one week and Fri-Mon off the next was worth it!!
 
Redracer3136 said:
Just curious, would mechanics be open to working a rotating schedule that included working weekends? I understand that parts wouldn't be available on Sun's but one would think you guys could get a lot accomplished without the interruption of drivers.
I once worked in a shop for another carrier back in my younger days and we worked a rotating schedule...and I loved it!! We pulled 4/11's with four hours of OT every week and had to work weekends when the rotation came around but having Thur-Sun off one week and Fri-Mon off the next was worth it!!
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I'm going say NOT because the younger crowd today isn't as "tuff" as us old timers, You want to work WHAT the weekend NO WAY I got a party this weekend c'ya. Heck we got guys's in my shop whining they can't get off second shift for a least 5 more years due to the age and time the guy's above them have in. Our shop runs 3 shifts with a Sun/Mon /Tues start and everybody gets a least 1 day off on the weekend. just my 2 cents not trying to hijack your thread "nuff said still have more yard sale stuff to haul out enjoy whats left of the weekend
 
I could be on 1st shift now but I enjoy being on 3rd for now. And no The guys in the shop I work at would not be into the rotating shift and management would never approve we've asked about going to 4-10's and it is shot down quick.

Most everybody in this shop is very long tenured 12+ years some have close to 30...they're happy where they are...
 
I've been living with our deeply flawed pay scale for 39 years now. 33 years with Viking/FXF, and now 6 years with our deeply flawed pension plan. I live in the hills of Riverside Ca and we both drive nice cars. I don't have to flip hamburgers to make spare change. They told us years ago if we follow their plan we could retire making 115 percent of our wages. This all came true for me. I also don't have to worry about my pension being cut. I hope everyone can be as fortunate as I am. Happy Trails TP
 
I hate to be a pest, but the key info in your post is the word Viking. Your retirement, for the most part, accrued under Viking. It is being administered and honored by FXF. I think we are all quite happy for you. You certainly earned it.

Back on topic: the flaw in the pay scale (GPD) is that it is inconsistent, offering competitive wages in some locations, and not in others, all the while using a secretive formula, rather that public and/or verifiable data, such as U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oessrcma.htm.

:grouphug:
 
Sex pistol said:
I talked to a driver who came over to us from Ground and he had to start at the bottom pay scale. I think Swamp might be right about separate companies. But it was ground to freight, so maybe freight to express may be different.
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Aren't Ground employees usually employed through the contractor that bought the FedEx route?
 
The Contractor model originated at RPS (Roadway Package System) while owned by Roadway Services. Drivers we required to purchase routes and become independent contractors. FedEx acquired RPS as part of the purchase of Caliber System. Caliber subsidiaries included RPS, Roberts Express, Viking Freight, Caribbean Transportation Services, and Caliber Logistics and Caliber Technology.

FedEx maintained the contractor model. While benefiting from it, they attempted to exert more (and more) control, similar to an employee/employer relationship. This was deemed illegal, most recently, by the courts.

The arrangement working under CONTRACT seems to have been good for both parties. Many contractors owns several routes/lanes. The employees of those contractors experience "mixed results", generally below their industry counterparts.
 
Here a short story about one, not so little, unnamed center that continues to excel, while remaining at the bottom GPD.

The center in question has been shown consistently to be in need of an increase to the next wage level, based on proven competitive wage data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, cost of living data, and now this...

The center in question has far out paced the company average in growth. Annual growth margins that deserve a closer look.

Outbound shipments up 15.78%
Inbound shipments up 10.09%

Also, on the Field Target Account initiative (FTA), exceptional effort has produced growth in shipment count from those target accounts of 180.52%! This compares overwhelmingly favorably to the company wide FTA result of 38.46%

The fact that the above accomplished while the industry averages remain flat, indicates excellence across the board. Manager, Supervisors, Clerical, Dock and Drivers, all contributing. All of the above could/would/should benefit from a well earned adjustment in GPD.

So 3 out of 4 indicators show this particular center consistently worthy of a second look in terms of pay scale.

1) Competitive wage statistics: Check
2) Cost of living: Check
3) Merit basis: Check
4) Turn over rate: Not yet there...

Almost universally, personnel (employees & management) at this unnamed center find the current GPD disheartening and frustrating. When asked what could be done to achieve a higher GPD status, the silence is deafening.

15 months ago, sweeping adjustments were announced, as well as the assurrance of more timely adjustments going forward, and ongoing analysis of the data. The results, or lack thereof, lead most to conclude that there is only one metric looked at. That metric seems to be turnover rate, and nothing else.

Let's ask the question, again. What more could be done to achieve a higher GPD status?
 
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SwampRatt said:
Here a short story about one, not so little, unnamed center that continues to excel, while remaining at the bottom GPD.

The center in question has been shown consistently to be in need of an increase to the next wage level, based on proven competitive wage data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, cost of living data, and now this...

The center in question has far out paced the company average in growth. Annual growth margins that deserve a closer look.

Outbound shipments up 15.78%
Inbound shipments up 10.09%

Also, on the Field Target Account initiative (FTA), exceptional effort has produced growth in shipment count from those target accounts of 180.52%! This compares overwhelmingly favorably to the company wide FTA result of 38.46%

The fact that the above accomplished while the industry averages remain flat, indicates excellence across the board. Manager, Supervisors, Clerical, Dock and Drivers, all contributing. All of the above could/would/should benefit from a well earned adjustment in GPD.

So 3 out of 4 indicators show this particular center consistently worthy of a second look in terms of pay scale.

1) Competitive wage statistics: Check
2) Cost of living: Check
3) Merit basis: Check
4) Turn over rate: Not yet there...

Almost universally, personnel (employees & management) at this unnamed center find the current GPD disheartening and frustrating. When asked what could be done to achieve a higher GPD status, the silence is deafening.

15 months ago, sweeping adjustments were announced, as well as the assurrance of more timely adjustments going forward, and ongoing analysis of the data. The results, or lack thereof, lead most to conclude that there is only one metric looked at. That metric seems to be turnover rate, and nothing else.

Let's ask the question, again. What more could be done to achieve a higher GPD status?
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Is there a certain date where they review on what centers should get the raise. I heard there was another indicator that had something to do on the population of the area the center is in. Is there an opinion or thought on why this center is not getting the raise?
 
Sex pistol said:
Is there a certain date where they review on what centers should get the raise. I heard there was another indicator that had something to do on the population of the area the center is in. Is there an opinion or thought on why this center is not getting the raise?
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Corporates perceived lack of a union threat would be my guess.
 
Crazy Trucker said:
Come on now the experts on here said the last adjustment that included 56 terminals had nothing to do with what your talking about.:idunno: It's funny though not one gpd adjustment has been made since. :scratchhead:
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I explained this to you at the time but you ignored it. At least four of the terminals had no appreciable union activity at all yet they got the raise. My question would be how often do they evaluate the GDP? Is it annual or longer? Have there been periods of time where they went longer than this without a GDP adjustment? I realize facts like that interfere with your narrative.
 
Does terminal size still matter. I had to go from a big hub to a podunk little joint to follow the freight in the great purple promise layoff. It took me an hour longer to get there and they took a $1 per hour away from to boot.
 
Sex pistol said:
Is there a certain date where they review on what centers should get the raise. I heard there was another indicator that had something to do on the population of the area the center is in. Is there an opinion or thought on why this center is not getting the raise?
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Here are a couple things we know (“officially”), and some things we've been told.

I know from the official response I received (Jan 2015), per Manager-Compensation-FedEx Freight, the GPD program is designed to address “cost of living” and “cost of wages” (presumably competitive) for the different markets in which FedEx Freight facilities are located. An outside consultant, Economic Research Institute (ERI) is used to provide data on the above for “individual cities and large metropolitan areas”. Data specific to each is considered using the “5 digit zip code”.

Since that time, we have been told that an additional source is now used. Also we were told that the timeframe necessary for the data to effect a change, was being reduced from (I seem to recall) 8 consecutive quarters to 4 (less certain on that specific number). Also, we were told that analysis would be on-going, rather than the previous (presumably annual) timetable.

Unofficial statements point to turnover, or lack thereof, and the ability to attain and retain drivers as the driving factor.
 
One giant flaw in this system, might be the 5 digit Zip code mentioned.

When looking at the official reasoning, that zip code flaw seems to offer insight as to why the powers that be can not see the flaw. Getting them to look deeper into the numbers is likely to be very challenging, even though the 3 letter designation given this center actually denote a metro area, not a city/town.

If we are considered an individual city (actually a town) rather than a Meto area, therein lies the problem. A problem easily rectified, if there is a desire to do so.

This zip code thing effects competitive wage data in a number of ways and for the record, Bureau of Labor Statistics considers us to be a Metro area. Actually two metro areas. A metro area with a mean average wage for Truck Drivers far in excess of many a higher GPD centers. http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oessrcma.htm

The zip code effects all of the data, making it a poor indicator, due to the extremely narrow sliver of data.

Center location: Town (zip) median household income: $27,974 (Population: 3,181)

Metro counties median household income: $46,830 (Population 491,863 ) & $42,680 (Population 297,302).

Now, I guess we need to go through the suggestion process, again. Don Brown-Chief Financial Officer, might be the only person not yet contacted on this topic. Could be an interesting conversation, if we could get that far... :idunno:
 
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Ump said:
Does terminal size still matter. I had to go from a big hub to a podunk little joint to follow the freight in the great purple promise layoff. It took me an hour longer to get there and they took a $1 per hour away from to boot.
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Terminal size and or volume does not play into the wage equation. If that were the case, My location would not be at the bottom GPD. We were told we're in the top 5 or so % (don't recall the exact number), by volume.
 
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