But even now, long before FedEx begins hub operations at Piedmont Triad International Airport, area companies already are scrambling for workers. GATX Logistics looks for some of the same skills that FedEx seeks. The Jacksonville, Fla., company with 300 workers in the Triad, has boosted base starting wages 30 percent over the past four or five years, said Chuck Miller, the company's group manager in North Carolina. The labor market is about as tight as it can get already. That effort has already begun, and Milks believes those companies in direct competition with FedEx may find they need to start preparing sooner, not later, for its arrival.
Managers give employees frequent bonuses, ranging from cash to gifts.
Company has in-house grievance process unrivaled in American business, according to Mother Jones magazine. They receive unreduced retirement benefits at 60 years of age. Employees can pay for child care with untaxed earnings. Jump seat privileges allow workers to fly for free to wherever FedEx aircraft go. Tuition refunds for college students.