The FedEx Express workers are employees. The FedGround workers are not employees but are hired as independent contractors. They have to purchase the FedEx trucks they use, supply their own health benefits, insurance, etc. It's quasi illegal in my book and they have been sued over it, but the government seems to look the other way, and I don't see any union going after them. It was the one thing that made me want to try UPS as my default carrier, but I had so many problems with UPS that I just switched back. I'd love to use the USPS, but they are so mired in bureaucracy that they simply are not able to supply the services I need. And when you compare prices for the same services, there's no difference in price, except its harder to get them from USPS.

DrG

On Jun 1, 2014, at 7:23 AM, Carl Pultz <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> Folks,
> 
> I haven't followed this whole thread, so sorry for any redundancy or
> dumbdancy. A friend who runs a hifi shop who has for years shipped a lot of
> very expensive gear switched to Fedex a decade ago after having both package
> and billing problems with UPS. He was reluctant, because the local route guy
> was good, and he knew Fedex was a union-buster and labor-grinder. But, the
> service has been superior. That's my experience, too. For better handling,
> he tells me, use at least 2nd-day. Pack tightly and professionally using
> double-boxes for anything heavy or valuable. Drop-ship to customers whenever
> possible! That way, although the store still gets billed for freight, the
> manufacturer or distributor is responsible for the shipment.