Compensation Comparison Chart

Thanks to my readers I was able to create a chart comparing Postal Service compensation to compensation at FedEx Express and United Parcel Service.  As all readers know FedEx Express is non-union UPS is organized by the Teamsters and the Postal Service is organized by one of four craft unions.  The Postal Service compensation figures are from 2009 and were provided by the Postal Service to reporters prior to beginning of negotiations with APWU and NRLC.

The comparison's are a bit disingenuous for the APWU includes a number of maintenance crafts that are higher paid then the most employees that sort mail.  Therefore a fairer comparison would compare the average compensation of employees that sort mail or work at a retail counter with the wages paid UPS and FedEx inside workers.   

The comparisons illustrates why the compensation levels negotiated with the APWU for new employees and non-career positions have much lower wages.   It is clear that the new wage structure should bring APWU members that sort mail or work a retail counter to an average compensation level that will fall between what FedEx and UPS now pay.   If one assumes that UPS and FedEx employees see increases in compensation in the next few years, either due to contract provisions or increases reflecting improving business at both firms, then it is possible that by the end of the contract, APWU average compensation will likely be closer to what FedEx will pay its employees than what UPS will.

In many ways, Mailhandler union members face a worse comparison that APWU members.   Few of their employees are in maintenance and other positions that generate higher salaries.   Therefore, their average salary is likely further above market rates than APWU members.   Therefore, the contract that they will negotiate next fall will likely have all of the changes in work rules and pay schedules that the APWU just agreed to.  They may find it more difficult to negotiate any protections for current employees that the APWU did.

For members of the NALC and NRLC unions the comparison is a bit more complicated.   Their current compensation falls between UPS and FedEx compensation levels.   However, Postal Service is seeing its volumes decline while UPS and FedEx volumes are growing.  Also determining what is a fair wage for the delivery portion of the service depends on an estimate of the value of the delivery service alone and the division of revenue for all activities other than delivery and delivery.   Only after that is conducted would it be clear whether the compensation paid to Postal Service carriers is at, above, or below market rates. 

The difficulty of doing a comparison with compensation of the NRLC members most likely explained why the NRLC was not willing to continue to negotiate.  They most likely face a lower risk of an adverse ruling in arbitration than APWU members as the economic case of the Postal Service is much more complicated in that negotiation.

Comments and suggested additions to this table are requested.   They will be added to the table and posted when received.

Comparable Wages

One of the challenges in trying to figure out whether the Postal Service has signed a financially responsible contract is that there are few good figures available regarding what are market wages for the work that APWU members do.    The Teamsters Union have recently posted in UPS Teamster Update a comparison of UPS and FedEx Express employee wages.   I have pulled out the two categories that are comparable to work that APWU members do.   The figures below only include health and welfare and pension benefits and do not inclde compensation costs for employment and unemployment taxes and workers compensation insurance.

The hourly rates are comparable to information that I have seen elsewhere.   They indicate the wages that efficient operators can offer.   The new contract should move average APWU wages within the range listed here once a significant portion of current APWU members retire.

The benefit costs here include both health care and pension benefits.  UPS has a very generous benefit package for most employees which includes a defined benefit pension and 0% employee contribution for health care benefits for full time employees.   Most part time UPS employees  likely have less generous benefits than the "average" benefit.   Turnover of part-time workers is high so many do not accrue pension benefits and their health care benefits are not as generous as those for full time employees.   UPS offers part-time employees a number of non-traditional benefits as well, most notably tuition assistance in the form of loans and grants.

The average hourly benefits listed in the chart for full time FedEx employees most likely underestimates the benefits full time employees receive.   At $3.33 per hour the benefit listed for full time worker would be the equivalent of a company contribution of $577.22 for health benefits every month.   This would appear to be the figure that FedEx pays as its contribution for single employees.  In addition to health care benefits FedEx offers its employees a defined contribution pension as well as a 401-K plan with a match.   The $3.33 figure appears too low to include the hourly cost of  retirement benefits. 

The wages and benefits listed above are paid by companies that profitably provide parcel delivery services. These companies are both known for the efficiency of their operations and their ability to deploy capital to most efficiently use the labor sorting parcels and transporting parcels between facilities.  These two carriers are also now facing rising demand for their services to the point that they are able to raise prices to both customers that pay list prices and those that negotiate rates at discounts to list rices.  

The Postal Service faces a different operating and competitive landscape.   It has significant production and transportation overcapacity and public notice processes that discourages the elimination of this overcapacity, declining volumes and revenue, limited capital to improve the efficiency of its network, regulatory constraints that prevent rational pricing and competitive constraints that prevent it from extending its product line to generate more revenue per item delivered.  These constraints make it difficult for the Postal Service to pay market rates of compensation that one must assume are within the ranges shown above.   The sooner these constraints are removed, the sooner APWU members can be assured that their compensation will fall within the ranges listed above, otherwise they can expect that compensation levels in future contracts will have their members fall behind wages paid in the private sector.

FedEx Earnings - Implications for the USPS

FedEx's earnings announcement and conference provided some insights into the parcel market and the increasing integration of the Postal Services delivery network with the marketing and distribution capabilities of FedEx.   The comments relating to FedEx Smart Post seem to indicate that United Parcel Service and other carriers that compete in the market for delivering small parcels to households, whether by their own drivers or by the Postal Service may be losing market share to FedEx.

Here are the relevant excerpts:

 Parcel Volume

Dave Bronczek – President and CEO of FedEx Express from the Q & A

Well, Art, as Fred mentioned in his opening remarks, we expect a very solid peak season. It always gets a little cloudy after that with the key focal point being Chinese New Year. So, we're optimistic about going into the holiday period and I think we'll have strong performance both in our U.S. networks and international networks through the peak season, but it always gets a little cloudy after that with the important period being around Chinese New Year.

We do expect solid industrial production numbers for the calendar year 2010 and going into 2011 in the 4% to 5% range, and we expect a little bit of consumer spending pickup. Our numbers are around 1.5 in calendar year '10 and about 2.6 in calendar year '11. So those are numbers that we’re very comfortable with in terms of supporting our business levels. Obviously, we'll need to wait a little while after peak season to see what the remainder of the year looks like.

The Postal Service can expect an increase in parcels in the 4th quarter and beyond at least as much as large as what FedEx expects.  As will be shown below, the volume of parcels that the Postal Service delivers is tied to how many parcels FedEx and other similar firms feed to its delivery network.

Distribution Patterns

Alan Graf  - CFO from the Q and A

 Let me just add, particularly in the high-tech sector, our customers don't have any inventory. And what's happening, the market is coming to us as there's a disintermediation of intermediate distribution. Items are going directly from where they are manufactured to point of consumption, which is called International Priority Express, and that's what’s so exciting about the next few years around here is, that's going to continue, and with the reliability that we put up, there's no need to have an intermediate warehouse and there's no need to have a backlog of things that can go obsolete on the shelves and that's part of the excitement that we see around here.

In response to a question about inventory, Alan Graf highlights one of the challenges competing in the domestic home-delivery parcel market.   Inventory of items manufactured overseas, and in particular items that weigh less than ten pounds are no longer shipped to a domestic warehouse for shipping to the household customers.   As the retailer does not know where in the United States the sales will come from or for that matter, what color, size, and in the case of computers, the processor, specific amount of memory, size of hard drive, and other components that the customer plans to order, keeping inventory in the United States becomes quite expensive.  Given the difference in labor costs, it becomes cheaper to pay international air freight than to ship a basic model to the United States, and then modify it for individual orders.  

FedEx continues to deliver these items within its Express network and United Parcel Service delivers them within their standard network.   The Postal Service could enter the market for the delivery of foreign sourced retail sales for home delivery only if it offered a price competitive delivery service in conjunction with DHL or TNT or a foreign post that offered the same security as what FedEx and UPS offer (signature requirements and tracking service) at a competitive price for the total end to end transportation charge.  It could more easily offer a price competitive service that allowed for pick-up at a Post Office or automated kiosk in conjunction with any carrier for a price well below the cost of home delivery.


Parcel Prices:

Mike Glen - President and CEO of FedEx Services from the Q & A



We were pleased with the Domestic Express volume performance. It is also being driven by the high-tech high value added sector. But the particular point that I want to make here is about the strong yield management activities that are in place and we will continue going forward. That is our primary objective. While we want to continue to grow volume and expect that we will do that, our primary focus is on improving yields, at the domestic Express business as well as in Ground and certainly LTL. So, our primary focus is not on market share so much as opposed to continuing to improve yields.


Dave Bronczek – President and CEO of FedEx Express from the Q & A

This is Dave. I’ll just add to what Mike said, and I've mentioned this a couple of times before and we'll talk about it in a couple of weeks here. Yes, the volume is up 3% and yes, my yields are up 7% for an overall revenue increase of 10%, but again, the global network that FedEx Express is, the more international packages that end up in the United States in the inbound, or outbound part of my cycle drives more and more profits automatically. So, the more international packages that end up in my U.S. domestic trucks coupled with the yield improvement program that Mike just talked about is a significant profit driver for FedEx Express.

FeEx's increases in yield (average revenue per piece) reflect a concerted effort to raise the average rate that its customers pay.  While some of the increase in reflects an increase in weight and a higher proportion of international shipments for FedEx Express, it is clear that even in an economy with slow growth, FedEx is able to raise its prices for parcel delivery services.


Service Quality:

Fred Smith from opening statement

FedEx Ground continues to accelerate its network providing a clear speed advantage over the competition. Quite simply, FedEx Ground is faster to more U.S. locations than any other ground carrier.

Just since this last January, FedEx Ground has increased the speed of nearly 3,700 lanes. Since June 2003, FedEx Ground has accelerated its delivery times by one day or more in about 82,000 lanes. FedEx Ground now delivers more than half its volume of packages in two business days or less, and more than 80% in three days or less. FedEx Ground service levels are at all-time highs.

For the Postal Service, FedEx Ground's improved service standards pose a competitive threat to Priority Mail as for many origin destination pairs FedEx Ground rates are less than Priority Mail.   To the extent that United Parcel Service is also expanding the geographic area that has delivery in less than two or three days, they create a competitive advantage over Priority Mail.

Integration with the Postal Service Delivery Network:

 Mike Glenn - President and CEO of FedEx Services

I want to comment on one thing and caution you about looking at the Ground numbers in a vacuum. One of the strategic advantages that we have is SmartPost. SmartPost allows us to attack the residential lightweight business in a very efficient and profitable way. So rather than trying to steer that traffic into the Ground network and the Home network in particular, we steer that traffic into the SmartPost network.

So by definition, some of the growth potential that might otherwise go to Ground is going to SmartPost, and I think you can see the very strong performance we have there. So you have to look at our Ground strategy as an overall residential strategy, including SmartPost. We are very pleased with our ability to continue to have industry-leading growth rates and very strong yield improvement efforts at Ground, and I think that's based upon the combination of a great sales team that is armed with the tremendous value proposition and that's a formula for success.

Fred Smith from the Q & A

So, a good example of that is what Mike Glenn just talked to you about. If you really want to talk about the most cost-sensitive segment of the market, it is lightweight, low value-added retail items going to the home. There is no one that has the density that can compete with United States Postal Service. That's why several years ago, we came up with the strategy of developing a SmartPost service, and why it is growing at huge rates. So, we firmly believe that our strategy which has allowed us to pick-up in the commercial ground sector, what about 12 market share points...

Alan Graf - CFO from the opening statement

FedEx SmartPost average daily volumes grew 9% to $1.1 million as a result of gains in market share and the introduction of new service offerings. Yields at FedEx SmartPost increased 19% primarily due to lower postage costs as a result of increased deliveries to U.S. Postal Service, final destination facilities and higher fuel surcharges.

FedEx clearly sees its SmartPost service as a competitive advantage.   Given that it offers shippers in a highly price sensitive market very low parcel delivery rates a competitive service it increases what the Postal Service delivers.   Pricing this service to FedEx requires a great deal of understanding as to what FedEx is charging customers and what portion of that charge represents the Postal Service's part.   Trying to set this rate within a regulatory context is particularly difficult and raises a question as to whether the rate increases for the Postal Service's portion of the revenue from a parcel delivery shipment should reflect the ability of FedEx and similar carriers to raise prices for end to end service or some other standard.  

To the extent that regulated parcel services are primarily originated by FedEx and similar firms, then the value of the regulation to the shipper of regulated rates may be diminished by the benefits that FedEx and similar firms capture for themselves.

USPS, UPS, FedEx Express and the RLA

The choice of labor law (Postal Reorganization Act (PRA) vs. National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) vs. Railway Labor Act (RLA)) going forward for the USPS may not be clear, FedEx has a clear preference for keeping the FedEx Express Service under the provisions of the RLA. FedEx Express's current position under the action has been under attack by United Parcel Service and the Teamsters who would prefer that that FedEx Express status be changed so that it would be covered under the NLRA.

The change is currently included in HR915, the House version of the FAA Reauthorization Act. This would make it easier for the Teamsters, or any other union, to organize FedEx Express employees. The Teamsters, UPS and FedEx have run aggressive lobbying campaigns. Both UPS and FedEx have courted support from various interest groups that received extensive coverage by Politico last summer.

UPS's position is clearly presented on its website. FedEx, in addition to posting its position on its site, has run a numerous set of web-ads (that may have appeared on television in Washington DC) making its position as a satire of UPS's white-board ads.


The future of this fight over FedEx Express's status, and the labor law under which it operates will depend upon action in the Senate on the FAA reauthorization bill and a possible House-Senate conference to follow. Aviation News has reported that further congressional actions is unlikely this year, so this fight will carry on into the 2nd session of the 111th Congress.

What this fight shows is that the RLA provides advantages to non-unionized firms in their effort to stop organizing efforts. As the employees of the Postal Service and UPS are both unionized, this advantage for management has little value to them. For these firms, preference for operating under the RLA, NLRA, or PRA would depend on whether they believe that the negotiating process under the RLA is better or worse than what they now have. Unions representing UPS and the Postal Service have to ask the same question.

Market-dominant airlines and railroads have had significant challenges adjusting labor contracts to fit new competitive environments and new transportation technologies under the RLA. This should caution management of market-dominant unionized firms facing a changing competitive landscape of using the RLA as a model for labor law in their industry. UPS and Postal Service unions should be equally cautious as less is known about how the RLA negotiation process may have helped or hurt airline and railroad employees dealing with an industry in transition.