Yeah, it’s that time of year again for FedEx Express workers. Open enrollment time for our insurance. Many of you might have received your packets from the company in the mail, at a benefits meeting or have heard rumors of what news this year’s October Surprise will bring.

Once again we are being given the opportunity to “pay more for less.”  Our costs are going up and our coverage is diminishing.  Depending on what plan you opt for and what insurances you sign on to, deductions from our paychecks will apparently go up within a range of $27-80 a month for family coverage.  That equals another $6.40 to $18.46 a week that we will have to pay to remain covered.  This is a frightening trend that has to stop.  In the upcoming weeks we intend to do a more in-depth analysis of this insurance phenomenon at FedEx Express…cost goes up and coverage goes down…there is no doubt that our benefits are being drained from us.

This trend leads us to only one conclusion: Until we the work force have a say in the insurance phenomenon, we will continue to pay more for less.  

This leaves us only one solution:  Form a union with the Teamsters and solidify our benefit costs and coverage in a written agreement that cannot be changed without our approval.

A bunch of us have been passing out fliers to our coworkers (download flier here).  We ask that you take part in this nationwide action by talking to your coworkers about this insurance trend and say “Stop the Benefit Bleed” at FedEx Express.  We ask that you help to put FedEx Express on notice that the trend of “pay more and get less” is not acceptable.  This Benefit Bleed doesn’t happen with our pilots and it doesn’t happen with our competitor’s work force at UPS.  It doesn’t happen because UPS and our FedEx pilots have a contract, a written agreement that spells out costs and coverage for the benefits that they enjoy.

Your involvement is key to our ongoing successes in our organizing drive to obtain a written Teamster contract with our employer.  Wear a plainly visible Band-Aid to work, sign up on our FedxMx.com web site, use the discussion boards and show your coworkers the attached flier—these are just a few suggestions to take action in continuing our drive to a union contract.