This sounds like a threat. What am I saying? It is a threat, and a pretty bald-faced one at that:
FedEx could cancel contracts for $10 billion in American-made planes if Congress makes it easier for unions to organize the delivery giant’s workers.
In a Securities and Exchange Commission filing, the Memphis-based company disclosed that purchases of Boeing 777s are contingent on FedEx Express’ continued coverage by the National Railway Labor Act.
The disclosure serves as a warning shot to lawmakers seeking to put FedEx Express workers under the National Labor Relations Act, a move seen as helping the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.
And if WATB FedEx doesn’t get its way, along with Boeing and General Electric, they will buy planes from unionized European competitor Airbus! That makes sense, or at least it does to corporate America. This isn’t “deft” as one pinhead analyst puts it in the article, it’s extortion.
Meanwhile, FedEx competitor UPS has been unionized forever and seems to do quite well. Go figure.
Message to Congress–while you were grandstanding, nothing changed. One legal term I can’t recall hearing much, if at all, during the last six months is “anti-trust.” Maybe someone should dust those big old books full of laws ‘n stuff off and give them a read.
(Props to TPM.)
Quick, somebody alert the state patrol!
‘Oh wait, they’re corporate America, they get to play by different rules than the rest of us.
6 months? Try 20 years.
What!? Prosecute anti-trust violations?? Madness I say! That might lead to things like the SEC and NLRB actually having some teeth (and backbone) again! Where would it end?? Bankers and insurance bigshots prosecuted for fraud? The end of bailouts for rich corporate CEO’s and board members? All those geniuses that got bonuses with tax bailout money because they’re so irreplaceable!?
Well, prosecuting that stuff would really be a change I could believe in.
Just wondering, but wasn’t that a Boeing plane they showed crashing in Fed Ex’s big advertising flick “Castaway”? Maybe Airbus would love to have an A300 going down in the sequel.
Ever since Reagan got away with union busting with PATCO this stuff has been going on. Doesn’t matter if it’s the Republicrats or the Democans, this stuff continues to happen. Clinton was just a moderate Republican and so is Obama. Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.
what no “oy” ,, “devore”
“Meanwhile, FedEx competitor UPS has been unionized forever and seems to do quite well. Go figure.”
This like saying UPS drives bicycles for delivery and is union.
Try buying Planes with all it’s up keep and fuel.
Screw the workers they should all walk off the job and never come back. Wa. is still a right to work state.
You guys crack me up! When FedEx “threatens” lawmakers it’s Anti-Trust Time but when a Union Board “threatens” lawmakers it’s much ado about nothing, eh? Fucking phonies!
This is starting to feel like the 1930s and Grapes of Wrath.
5 Huh? There seem to be about as many UPS “bicycles” flying around as ones in Fedex livery.
no
5 – No sense I can see there.
WA is a right to work state? Like Alabama, Wyoming?
Nope.
European Unions can be nasty when they strike, all Airbus employees have to do is get a strike at SNCF, and France almost comes to a halt, same with German Airbus Employees, although there are private and open access operators gaining in the European Rail Market, the State Railroads still have some dominance. There was a strike just last week in France, and it was not just the public-sector unions. Usually if it is just them, people pay no attention, they were just trying to protect their pensions and benefits.
Hmmm.. So wingies are all for corporate hacks running to the socialist French for their airplanes?
Makes even more sense.
And they wonder why we call them America haters?
If that name of yours is a scriptural reference, then you’re the fucking phony.
This can be fixed with a little ol’ amendment that says companies covered by the National Railway Labor Act have to pay a 35% import duty on foreign airplanes. This won’t affect the airlines or railroads at all.
@5 I’m a right-to-not-work rabbit! If you don’t have a job and don’t do any work, you don’t have to worry about things like anti-union campaigns or anti-labor corporations. I don’t work, and as a result of not working, I have a hassle-free lifestyle! Plus, I get nifty tax breaks for not working!
What can brown do for you?
“covered by the National Railway Labor Act have to pay a 35% import duty on foreign airplanes. This won’t affect the airlines or railroads at all.”
Then they charge the same 35% on our exports.
Anyone makes $5000 in one day in the stock market should be taxed a 90% + 10% for greed.
If union members boycott Fed. Ex., or, more importantly, union sympathizers, this will put a lot of pressure on Fed. Ex. to see a different point of view.
Starting an informal boycott against Fed Ex via the internet would be a simple thing to do.
Someone should Fed Ex their management about it so that they receive the news.
You devious KLOWNS are still mindlessly equating what the Union did by tying a Direct Political Contribution to a specific vote on a specific piece of Legislation. You are also, in your typical KLOWNish fashion, ignoring the fact that the Bender action is related to Washington State Laws…
Keep trying Jon.
This is why Obama and Gregoire are growing to HATE you LEFTIST PINHEADED KLOWNS!
re 17: Most countries ALREADY charge these kinds of import tariffs on our goods.
Knowing this, your argument falls apart. Oh, and the Herbert Hoover tariff argument: It’s BS. We were already well into the depression before the tariffs went into effect. Once again, Republicans were too late, too little, and two stoopid.
re 20: How could a mindless person be devious? They would not understand the need for duplicity.
FedEx doesn’t really care about a potential boycot by individuals. They do, however, care about corporate accounts.
So for a boycott to work, we need some businesses with big accounts to send a message to FedEx national headquarters saying that they’ve decided not to do business with a non-union shop, and specifically mention this threat as a reason for doing so. They should point out that if they have to treat their workers correctly because their workers are represented by unions, they shouldn’t subsidize vendors who have an unfair advantage because they undercut the competition by paying workers less in wages and benefits than they are worth.
While it might be hard to find some large corporations who will do this, there are quite a few administrative-level people who get to make a decision on a daily basis as to which company they use for their overnight mail. While not quite as effective, it might have an impact.
That seems rather silly. Presumably there is a reason FedEx selected the Boeing 777 rather than a competing Airbus product. I fail to see how any of those considerations change if FedEx is no longer covered by the RLA.
Oh and Boeing is heavily unionized as is the aircraft engine division of GE.
It may of course be that Fedex’s business is going in the tank along with everyone else’s, and they’re seeking to duck out of their commitment to buy the planes altogether and dump the blame on someone else.
20 Cyn
Actually, Cyn, we HATE right-wing PINHEADED KLOWNS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Cyn !!! You’re back !!!!
Hey, did you know that ‘clowns’ doesn’t need ALL FUCKING CAPS and that the ‘K’ spelling is Germanic at best and Nazi ( remember them – spent a lot of blood and treasure to extirpate them ) at worst. Are you a closet Nazi ? Are you ok with that ?
BTW, as for the “Queen” as you moron wingnuts call her, she’s goin’ down !!!!!
OBAMA FATIGUE has set in.
The guy fancies himself a media star and “funny man”.
I’m watching him fumble thru his Press Conference tonight.
What a KLOWN!!
1st, he tells us we all need to work together.
That would be fine, but Obama has lost his moral authority to request cooperation because he allowed his right-hand man, Rahm Emmanuel, to launch his Limbaugh=Republican scam (which backfired miserably).
How can Obama even suggest working together…when his own henchmen are busy scheming to drive in wedges??
Next, Obama stutters & stammers when being pushed by Chip Reid, CBS about passing $9.3 TRILLION in debt to future generations…the opposite of what Campaigner Obama said he would do.
Obama looks like a 3-card Monty Shark!!
Where’s the pea???????????
You KLOWNS are pathetic…
You demand power, get it and fumble around like morons.
Watch for Obama’s popularity to continue to plummet.
He can only read a teleprompter!!!
Answering questions?? What a KLOWN!
Ozsea1–
You are a KLOWN.
And the thought of anyone going down on Chris makes me ill.
Did you KLOWNS happen to see the picture of the dude with the Cellphone Camera taking a picture of Michelle Obama serving up his free Soup Kitchen meal??
That’s why I call y’all KLOWNS.
Socialist and silly.
So let me get this straight–
The dude can afford a fancy cellphone and cell service…but can’t afford to feed himself?
TOO DAMN FUNNY!
After yesterday, they need one more plane. I think this is a negotiation ploy to get Boeing to toss it in at no charge.
@17 “Anyone makes $5000 in one day in the stock market should be taxed a 90% + 10% for greed.”
I agree! Freeloaders like me should pay their fair share of taxes! It’s ridiculous that I get a 2/3rds discount on my taxes for pushing the same dollars in endless meaningless circles! All I do is take money out of one stock and put it in another stock, and I not only get paid for this, I get huge tax breaks too! Can you believe that?!! Capital gains and dividends should be taxed at the same rate as wages! Salaries over $5,000 a day should be taxed 90% plus a 10% greed surcharge!
@18 Nah, that takes too long, we won the election so let’s tax the shit out of them — that’ll get their attention and help the deficit, too.
Hey, here’s an idea! Let’s start the corporate tax rate at 100%, and give tax breaks for companies with unionized workforces.
@25 Bingo!
@28 If you’re already tired of Obama, you’d better conserve your strength, because there’s a lot more Obama to come! It’s a loooooong way to the next election, looooooser!!!
Obama Approves Of Roger Rabbit Making $$$ In Stock Market!
Here’s the money quote:
“Bankers and executives on Wall Street need to realize that enriching themselves on the taxpayers’ dime is inexcusable, that the days of outsized rewards and reckless speculation that puts us all at risk have to be over,” he said.
“At the same time, the rest of us can’t afford to demonize every investor or entrepreneur who seeks to make a profit. That drive is what has always fueled our prosperity, and it is what will ultimately get these banks lending and our economy moving once more,” he said.
So there you have it: Roger Rabbit fuels American prosperity! It sure beats working.
How else are employers to reach him if they want to interview him for a job?
Phone service is a big problem for people who’ve fallen through the cracks. Ever think of that?
Indeed many people who are homeless actually have jobs. It’s not that they’re unemployed. They’re UNDERemployed.
Fool.
@33
You’ll pocket the gain and not even throw the poor a buck. Or better yet donate to your local food back. Your liberalism /Socialism of helping the poor people in need is not surprising. All liberals tax returns I have seen give less than .5% to charity. I would bet with all your talk. You give charity zero and keep the tax break as a greedy liberal you are. Ever think on returning it to the treasury? That was a dumb question to as you.
“Indeed many people who are homeless”
Where is the bill being sent too? You have no idea just empty talk.
Also your so full of S@#% your starting to stink.
@ 38
Sorry, dude, but you missed the real funny part. Cynical thinks a cell phone that takes pictures is “fancy”.
@ 40
Where is the bill being sent too?
Apparently you’ve never heard of online bill-pay.
Oh, and you can get free access to the internet at your local library.
36. Roger Rabbit spews:
Obama has been in office 2 months and looked like an exhausted, confused person…not the leader of the Free World. He failed to answer direct questions and stumbled around with his repetitive talking points.
Can you imagine working all day and coming home to listen to our President spew talking points and not answer direct questions.
A lot more disappointed people after tonite.
41. Don Joe spews:
I didn’t expect you KLOWNS to question why this dude was in the free food line.
It’s because we don’t give a fuck what you think or say, Cyn.
Now go kill yourself.
re 30: Is your 80 year old mother who’s dieing of lymphoma still riding that exercycle 3 hours a day?
That’s a hell of a little bit personal to tell to a bunch of clowns. I think you said that to gain sympathy — kind of the male equivalent of cramps.
I haven’t read the Seattle Times for over a year because I finally got tired of their asininity.
I guess UPS and DHL get my business instead of FedEx from now on, too.
If enough of us do this, maybe they’ll eventually get the message.
Just sayin’….
45. Broadway Joe spews:
Gee BJ, why do you have to be so mean?
Obviously plenty of you care what I think, INCLUDING YOU, as evidenced by your repeated responses. If you truly didn’t care you would ignore me….but you can’t. WHY? Because you know I’m always right.
46. headless lucy spews:
She rides 2 hours per day.
What good would “sympathy” from you do??
Hardly a goal….KLOWN.
BTW headlice–
You missed the good news.
She is NOT dying of lymphoma.
All tests show it was isolated to the tumor in her neck which was removed.
2-3 weeks of radiation on that easy to get to area and she’s good to go.
You don’t read very well, do you headlice?
X’ad @#13: “If that name of yours is a scriptural reference, then you’re the fucking phony.” (john425)
No, you fucking moron, that’s my area code. Get your head out of your ass and come to the realization that there are concerned citizens outside dipshit Seattle.
GO UPS. Anything to help bring death to the Mafia like unions.
This tells it all – http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03.....wanted=all
“I am proud of everything I have done for the commodity and equity divisions of A.I.G.-F.P. I was in no way involved in — or responsible for — the credit default swap transactions that have hamstrung A.I.G. Nor were more than a handful of the 400 current employees of A.I.G.-F.P. Most of those responsible have left the company and have conspicuously escaped the public outrage.”
Liberals. Elitist morons; herds of mindless people with no sense of morality.
51. John425 spews:
John425–
Actually John 4:25 is an interesting verse:
It’s about a woman of complete faith….something X’ad and the other Atheist Progressives fear.
When are you going to start speaking in tongues? That’d be a riot.
@ 44
I didn’t expect you KLOWNS to question why this dude was in the free food line.
Of course you didn’t. You’re so ignorant of the variety of ways that homeless people get by that someone standing in a soup line holding a cell phone strikes you as odd.
With regret I watched obama today.
He started off saying this is about you no me.
10 mins later he’s still talking about himself.
CLICK!!
If any of you libs watched did you see the Teleprompters ?