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Non-Tech : FedEx (FDX) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Darryl Olson who wrote (236)	11/17/1998 4:41:00 PM
From: Darryl Olson	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 524

Govt. Mediates FedEx Talks Tuesday November 17 10:48 AM ET Govt. Mediates FedEx Talks By WOODY BAIRD Associated Press Writer MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - Nonunion workers at Federal Express Corp. rallied today in support of the company as it attempts to head off a possible strike by pilots. About 2,500 workers lined an intersection near FedEx's Memphis headquarters, holding signs and encouraging motorists to honk to show their support for the city's largest employer. ''We don't need to give in to their demands. We'll make it work - whatever it takes,'' said Steve Borgmier, a truck mechanic. He was in a group of six mechanics with a large handmade sign reading ''FedEx, absolutely positively, without a doubt, lock 'em out.'' The rally was staged by an employees' group called Our Future. Organizer Susan Inman said the company had no hand in the demonstration and workers used personal time to attend it. Office worker Carol Winstead said she likes her job and believes FedEx provides her a fair wage and benefits. ''We need to make sure the company can meet its goals or there is not going to be a company to work for,'' she said. The National Mediation Board is trying to get Federal Express and its pilots union talking again to head off a possible strike over the Christmas holidays. FedEx negotiators and union leaders met with the board in Washington, D.C., on Monday. Neither side had much to say after the meeting, but no new dates were set for negotiations to resume. ''This was strictly an informal discussion with the NMB, at least on our part. This was not a negotiation,'' said FedEx spokesman Greg Rossiter. Also Monday, about 40 FedEx pilots staged an informational picket in Atlanta. The pilots planned other pickets today in New York and Los Angeles. FedEx, meanwhile, announced it had secured a second $1 billion line of credit to cover extra expenses for the cargo airline if the pilots strike. The contract talks, which began in July, broke off Oct. 30, leading the Fedex Pilots Association to seek strike authorization from its members. Authorization ballots are to be counted the first week in December. If two-thirds of the pilots approve, the union may call a strike. The pilots say they want greater job protection, more control over work schedules and a raise in pay. The company says it has offered raises that would put the pilots near the top of industry pay scales. FedEx pilots already have started refusing to work overtime in an attempt to pressure the company over the busy holidays. FedEx says it has contingency plans to keep shipments moving that include a greater reliance on the company's truck fleet and contract airplanes and crews. The 3,500 fliers are the only members of the company's domestic work force represented by a union. Federal Express has more than 140,000 employees worldwide. The union has called on FedEx to enter into binding arbitration on a contract, but the company says it is not interested. Rossiter said FedEx offered arbitration when the talks began but no longer feels that would be in the best interest of the company, its customers or nonunion employees. Memphis-based Federal Express, owned by FDX Corp. (NYSE:FDX - news), is the world's largest air cargo delivery company with 326 cargo jets. Earlier Stories Mediators Jump Into FedEx Dispute (November 17) Feds To Try To Settle FedEx Dispute (November 16) FedEx Pilots Want Arbitration (November 13) UPS Steps Into FedEx Fray (November 13) FedEx Expects Deliveries Curtailed (November 12)