What can Brown do for you?

Posted by Rod:

A crappy slogan perhaps, but UPS offers more than just trustworthy shipping services--they're a company that takes care of their employees. The same can't be said of FedEx, their most recognizable competitor, excluding the Post Office.

FedEx has come under government scrutiny lately for categorizing their drivers as independent contractors, as opposed to company employees. As a result, FedEx drivers are not given the kind of legal protection afforded employees (e.g. medical leave, disability protection), as well as having to foot the bill for a truck, gas, and insurance.

None of this would raise concern if FedEx drivers had the liberties an actual independent contractor would have, but as Jean Capobianco--a FedEx driver-- points out, they do not: “We’re told what to do, when to do it, how to do it, when to take time off...You have to wear their uniform. You can’t wear your hair certain ways. You have to deliver every single thing they put on the truck.”

The strategy saves FedEx an estimated $400 million a year in taxes.

Compare that to UPS, who not only classifies their drivers as employers, but also has a unionized workforce. The next time you need something shipped, go with UPS, and support a company that supports the people doing the labor. If the retailer your ordering from doesn't offer UPS as a shipping option, then write an email asking them to, or go with USPS instead.

(All quotes and information come from the article "US: Working Life (High and Low).")