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Unmentioned in the article is that UPS is largely unionized, unlike FedEx. This makes flexible arrangements like this extra unusual. As an anecdote, my aunt was working as a (corporate) employee at UPS and got in a not-small-amount of trouble when a union rep caught her helping out with carrying packages inside a warehouse.

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Unmentioned in the article is that UPS is largely unionized, unlike FedEx. This makes flexible arrangements like this extra unusual.

Maybe allowances for exceptional circumstances are baked into the contract?

More like they are a historically well run company.

Fedex is regulated as a train company so the NLRA does not apply and they can be legally prevented from forming a union. It is very unusual in this day and age.

Strictly speaking, FedEx is regulated as an airline (under the Railway Labor Act). FedEx workers aren’t legally prevented from forming a union but it is harder for them to strike under certain circumstances. I believe DHL is also regulated as a airline and was more unionized when they were still in the domestic delivery business in the US.

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