FedEx expectsa busier 'busiest day'

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FedEx and UPS sales fall as customers get patient

When Wall Street collapsed, the paper slowed down. Memos, invoices and order forms were left unsent.

At package delivery behemoths FedEx and UPS, last fall's meltdown and the recession have meant a sharp drop-off in the number of documents and packages sent overnight. And it's not just the delivery companies' biggest customers. Small businesses and consumers are opting for slower shipments to save money, embracing an often-forgotten virtue: patience.

As with so many things in this era of frugality, it isn't clear whether people will remain practical after the economy recovers. For now, though, the desire to save a buck is leaving its stamp on the country's expansive delivery network.

Grounding the parcel competition

How does the Obama administration love organized labor? Let us count the ways it uses power to repay unions for helping to put it in power.

It has given the United Auto Workers majority ownership of Chrysler. It has sent $135 billion of supposed stimulus money to state governments to protect unionized public sector employees from layoffs and other sacrifices that private sector workers are making. It has sedated the Labor Department's Office of Labor-Management Standards, which protects workers against misbehavior by union leaders. Cap-and-trade legislation might please unions with protectionism -- tariffs on imports from countries not foolish enough to similarly burden their manufacturers. If Congress, seeking money for more socialized medicine, decides that some employer-paid health insurance should be taxed as employees' compensation -- which it obviously is -- generous union-negotiated benefits might be exempted.

Now it is the Teamsters' turn at the trough. Congress might change labor law to assist

Earnings Preview: UPS seen posting 4Q profit

UPS Inc., the world's largest shipping carrier, reports fourth-quarter and full-year 2009 results on Tuesday. The following is a summary of key developments and analyst opinion related to the period.

OVERVIEW: UPS, based in Atlanta, is expected to post an adjusted profit on lower revenue for the October-December quarter.

The fourth quarter, which includes the peak holiday shipping period, is usually a very busy time for shippers like UPS.

FedEx moving into new Piedmont Triad hub

FedEx Corp. was beginning operations Monday at a new $300 million hub at Piedmont Triad International Airport, but the company had no immediate plans to expand the work force there because of concerns about the economy.

About 160 workers were to move from FedEx's current PTI terminal to the new hub, where company officials have long planned to increase volume to sort packages for the region. FedEx spokesman Jim McCluskey said the Memphis, Tenn., company is still considering adding another 200 workers to the site in the fall, but he cautioned that those plans aren't finalized.

"With the economy being as it has been, we're anxiously hoping for a turnaround," McCluskey said. "Depending on where the economy goes, it will drive our next move at the hub."

UPS 4Q profit nearly triples from year earlier

UPS is seeing more people using cell phones to buy and ship goods over the Internet, a greater number of customers paying for premium services like next-day air and businesses beefing up operations overseas.

The result: a fourth-quarter profit of $757 million, nearly triple the amount from a year earlier. The only blemish was UPS' money-losing freight business, which ships larger items such as gym equipment, grand pianos and automobiles.

The world's largest shipping company continues to position itself for an economic rebound, albeit a gradual one. UPS will spend less money in 2010 than it has historically on things like equipment, airplanes and trucks. It also is cutting jobs - although UPS said Tuesday it will reinstate pay raises for managers.