FedEx has unfair labor law advantages over UPS

FedEx has recently undertaken a lobbying and media campaign to prevent Congress from enacting legislation to bring its drivers under the same laws that govern all other delivery drivers in America.

To meet the needs of the modern economy, package delivery businesses such as UPS and FedEx operate integrated networks that utilize both air and ground transportation.

Despite the fact that drivers in those networks do the same work, use the same equipment and follow similar schedules, they are governed by different labor laws.

Congress is trying to fix this inconsistency, but FedEx, which has benefitted from this inequity in labor law for years, is falsely claiming the change would reduce access to global markets, increase its costs and impact its reliability.

This is simply untrue. Here's the truth: FedEx has more than 100,000 employees already covered by the very law it now claims is a threat - and not one of those FedEx employees is represented by a union.

There is no logical reason why treating FedEx Express drivers the same as all other drivers in the country - and the same as the other 100,000 FedEx employees - somehow would lead to a halt in commerce, with the company facing disruptions to its system so grave that the very commercial fabric of the nation will be threatened. Simply put, there is no basis in truth for FedEx's claims of disruption and harm to the economy.

It is all noise to distract from the real issue - equality under the law. The amendment to the Railway Labor Act (RLA) that FedEx is working so hard to prevent would only ensure that employees who perform the same job at competing companies are covered by the same law. This equity would help ensure competitive fairness in the transportation market. From there, it is basic economics - strong competition in any market benefits consumers.

This RLA issue is important to you as a consumer, and as an Alaskan. UPS employs nearly 1,000 people in the Last Frontier, including drivers, package handlers and mechanics. We have more than 400 pilots who work out of Anchorage and we recently opened a new pilot training facility here.

UPS is a major source of revenue in Alaska, too. In terms of landed cargo weight, we are the number one airline in Alaska, generating huge landing fees at Ted Stevens International Airport. UPS' commitment since we began serving Alaska in 1977 has contributed to the economic health of the state.

The RLA issue is simple: Drivers doing the same jobs should be covered by the same laws. Congress is working to address this issue.

In Alaska, and indeed throughout the United States, our commitment to equal treatment is what protects individuals and businesses large and small. We all lose when some companies think they don't have to play by the same rules as everyone else.

Scott J. DePaepe is UPS Alaska Division Manager in Anchorage.