FedEx and the U.S. Mail

FedEx • Disappeared • Damaged • Late • Wrong address • International crises • FedEx and the mail --- • FedEx Ground • FedEx Kinko's --- • FedEx Buys Kinko's

David of Dallas (8/2/02):
I am a pilot who flew priority and express mail. FedEx recently was awarded the postal flying and FedEx boxes were placed at the post office. I feel the deal is unethical if not illegal. I worked for one of many contractors that shared the postal flying. The contract was awarded to the lowest bidders. Several companies (like Emory Worldwide, Ryan Intl, Kitty Hawk) shared the contract. The contract was to the year 2004.

In late 2001, the contract was given to one company, Fed Ex. No bidding process, the contract seems to be just handed to FedEx. Not only did the USPS have to pay the contractors for early termination, they had to pay FedEx 6.2 billion.

Now that Fed Ex has the money, ground handlers are complaining that priority mail is being left behind for FedEx packages. Why award the contract to a company who's priority is to deliver FedEx packages? It's a great deal for FedEx but a bad deal for the public. I've since been furloughed and my company is in chapter 11. Other postal contractors are in chapter 11. The government is having to pay unemployment benefits to employees of the contractors.

I've spent months trying to figure out why the gov't has not looked into this. According to Opensecrets.org, FedEX is well known around Capitol Hill for the fleet of private planes it keeps on stand-by for congressmen. The article explains FedEx gave more that $2.6 million in PAC, soft money and individual donations in 1999-2000. It makes me very angry to see the USPS ask for postal increases. They made a bad deal for the public and someone needs to start looking into this. Obviously, Congress is not interested.

I was furloughed on 12/24/01. I've been unable to find a job as a pilot. Even though I had been flying a B-727 for the past 6 years. It has frustrated me to a point of possibly giving up my flying career. Local goverment employment offices were given money by the federal goverment to aid the aviation community. These funds are impossible to get.

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