Tag: North America

Troutdale city in favor of FedEx tax break

Posted by | Jun 27, 2007 | |

A majority of the City Council is in favor of giving Federal Express an estimated USD 4 million break on property taxes as part of a new enterprise zone to attract industrial businesses.

The shipping conglomerate is debating relocating from Swan Island and building a larger distribution center on the Reynolds Metal site as part of a USD 1.8 billion expansion of its North American network.

FedEx has told city officials it’s prepared to invest USD 100 million in the local relocation, which could bring hundreds of jobs to East County. Troutdale could eventually expect about USD 1.6 million annually in property taxes after the tax-abatement period runs out, City Administrator John Anderson told the council.

A two-hour work session Tuesday, June 26, grew testy at times as councilors debated what one called a monumental decision. At issue is whether FedEx will build a 500,000-square-foot ground distribution facility in Troutdale or in Washington State. Troutdale appears to be at the top of the company’s list, Anderson said.

Councilor David Ripma wondered why the city would establish an enterprise zone if the company already seems committed to the Reynolds site. He and Councilor Jim Kight were against giving FedEx the tax break, which would last three years and possibly five if the zone is renewed.

The rest of the council, however, said the enterprise zone wasn’t necessarily about just FedEx, but about attracting top-flight industry in general. And there is the risk that FedEx could either go to Vancouver or Ridgefield.

FedEx officials would like to know the city’s position on the incentives by the end of June. Councilors instead scheduled a public hearing on the matter for July 10.

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The National Labor Relations Board delivers labor jab to FedEx

Posted by | Jun 27, 2007 | |

The National Labor Relations Board’s certification of a union vote last week involving FedEx Home Delivery drivers in Wilmington, Mass., could add a layer of intrigue to a case that pits the independent-driver model against the more traditional employee model.

Drivers in the Home Delivery division in Wilmington last October voted 24-8 to choose the Teamsters as their bargaining representative.

By intervening, the NLRB said it agreed that the drivers are employees and not independent contractors, according to Patricia Gilbert, NLRB spokeswoman in Washington.

The decision was made by the regional director in Massachusetts.

FedEx says the 15,000 people who drive its courier vehicles with the purple and green FedEx painted on the side are independent contractors running their routes as they see fit.

They own their own trucks and pay all expenses, including fuel and maintenance.

But a growing number of the drivers say they are really employees, paid like contractors, who have given FedEx an edge over rival UPS, which employs Teamster drivers.

Drivers in Tennessee, California, Massachusetts, Minnesota, South Dakota and elsewhere are suing FedEx, arguing the company shirks worker protection laws by refusing to hire them as employees eligible for overtime pay, health insurance, workers’ compensation and other benefits. They also want to be reimbursed for back operating expenses and lost benefits.

FedEx Ground, based in Pittsburgh, was created in 1998 as a way to diversify FedEx Express, the world’s largest cargo airline. Its independent-contractor system promotes huge efficiencies, saving it equipment, insurance and benefits costs. But the structure also keeps drivers from organizing, experts say.

A victory by the unhappy drivers would raise employee costs and force FedEx Ground to maintain its own fleet of trucks.

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FedEx rolls out new campaign: “FedEx Stories”

Posted by | Jun 26, 2007 | |

FedEx this week introduced an integrated corporate brand campaign called “FedEx Stories” to show how the company’s employees strive to serve customers.

The campaign, developed by BBDO New York and Atmosphere BBDO New York, is aimed at C-level executives and influencers.

It launched with TV spots that drive users to a Web site at www.fedexstories.com, where online videos feature FedEx employees telling stories of how they have helped customers.

Print ads will begin appearing next month in publications including Financial Times, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal.

The budget was undisclosed.

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A rarity in future: New post offices

Posted by | Jun 26, 2007 | |

Suburban growth is generating thousands of new addresses in bedroom communities around Jacksonville. But the U.S. Postal Service hasn’t built a new post office in the metropolitan area since 2001.

Instead, the U.S. Postal Service is leasing space in shopping centers for post offices or installing postal counters inside other businesses, such as pharmacies and convenience stores.

The old model of building a stand-alone post office in a fast-growing community has gone the way of the 39-cent stamp.

John Mica, U.S. Rep. said convincing postal authorities to build more branches has always been challenging, but it’s become tougher as e-mail and fax machines take business from first-class mail. The Postal Service relies primarily on income it gets from selling stamps and other services while delivering 213 billion pieces of mail a year.

Postal Service spokesman Bill Tyler said more customers are doing their postal transactions online at usps.com, which started in 1997. The site averages 26 million visitors a month, and the average order is $80, according to the U.S. Postal Service. Tyler said the more people who go online, the less time they spend waiting in line, which also reduces the need for new brick-and-mortar postal branches. For those who just need stamps, machines are often all they need.

The last time the Postal Service built its own post office in the metropolitan area was six years ago, when it opened an 8,200-square-foot facility on College Drive in Clay County.

In the suburbs, that could be the future trend for a trip to the post office – fill up with gas and send a package at the same place.

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Save the bay teams up with DHL and the San Francisco giants

Posted by | Jun 26, 2007 | |

During select San Francisco Giants games this summer, Save The Bay and DHL will raise awareness about pollution threats to San Francisco Bay as part of the DHL’s Splash for Cash program. Along with many others hoping to catch Barry Bonds’ record-breaking home run, Save The Bay volunteers will paddle in McCovey Cove in DHL-branded yellow kayaks to wait for the famous “splash hits.” DHL will donate $1,000 to Save The Bay for every “splash hit” that sails into the cove, with a minimum donation of $10,000 at the end of the season. Save The Bay will use the money raised to support its work to protect and restore San Francisco Bay.

Save The Bay is taking the opportunity to educate baseball fans and Bay Area residents about one of today’s greatest threats to the Bay, dangerous pollution from homes, cars, and neighborhoods. Trash dropped in streets and parking lots ends up in the Bay, killing wildlife like seals, pelicans, and leopard sharks. At each game – through announcements and scoreboard messages – Save The Bay will remind Giants fans to “stash their trash” before, during, and after the game, noting its harmful effects to Giants’ mascot, Lou Seal, and his friends in the Bay.

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