Caterpillar dumped yrc about 5-6 years ago based on our unstable financial situation. The terminal I am at handled 2 of their large facilities, and it had nothing to do with PTS.
Yellow | Today’s Big Three LTL Carriers Are All Non-Union
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LTLIndentured
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Listening to my regular customers, I hear two consistent things listed as reasons they won't use yrc anymore. Damage and I can't count on them to be here today
Just my opinion but it seems like they don't want to be bothered with regular customers, daily's or contracts they find it much easier to work for the brokers. They don't have to handle the customer service end of it just have the brokers send the pick ups online.
bigtruk_us
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I know one shipper that uses YRC because they know that we don't have a very good on time rate.it's free
Canadian Flyer
They Call Me CF, Eh
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Now there's someone who's thinking! Tell YRC you need it about 2 days before you actually need it and you'll get it on time!
mysticobra
Over Here Now.
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I have control over one of those. We all do. We have partial control over the other.
I think most do that already. Especially with us. Yrc. And free!
D
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I have seen them hedge their bets and do one of each at the same time. If it's on time one gets there faster, if it's late one gets delivered for free.
LTLAnonymous
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It was bound to happen. Just like truckload. Keep more money with the company, the company expands. FedEx is Swift, ODFL is Schneider, and XPO is JB. Lol
I have a good friend that I used to work with at Holland that is now a road steward and part-time organizer at our Local. I talk to him occasionally. The last time, he was in Chicago trying to organize XPO. I don't think it went well. He's experiencing the same trying to organize other smaller freight companies. What "tools" do the organizers have to work with? What are the advantages that belonging to today's Teamsters have over staying non-union? Better starting pay? NO Better top scale pay? NO Secure pension plan under CSPF? NO. Is there any other option (besides CSPF) offered to freight people for retirement through Teamsters? Depends - Some but not many, and they are facing bankruptcy, too. Better equipment? Usually NO Better outlook for long term survival of the company? NO Better service for happier customers? NO Better overall morale among co-workers? Generally NO. Better vacations? NO. Is there anything being done to stop or control corruption in the Teamster leadership? NO. There is nothing for organizers to offer that makes any sense to the smarter and younger people now working in freight as a solid reason to go Teamster. While many of the non-union companies do have their flaws, they decide to stay with the "lesser of two evils".
The union is not much of a voice in the workplace anymore. Leadership is missing. No more sense of "Brotherhood". It's all "dog eat dog" and favoritism for the few members that "toe the line" at the local. Rampant corruption at all levels. That's why last vote turnout was only 16.5 %.
Canadian Flyer
They Call Me CF, Eh
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Sad but an all too common story. I'm not a Teamster, being an independent owner operator, but I sincerely feel for my Teamster brothers and sisters. I remember when Consolidated Freightways was everywhere, when Teamsters were respected, and when drivers aspired to get on with a union carrier. I can't help but look at the way things are now and feel a deep sadness. I respect my fellow drivers, and I find that Teamster drivers don't hesitate to wave at me and are often courteous enough to give a courtesy flash when I've passed.
You're a good bunch of people, and while circumstances aren't treating you guys well right now, I firmly believe that the roads would be a better place if more drivers acted as professional as the Teamsters I meet out there. I don't know how to fix the union...but I do believe in the hard working men and women who make up the membership.
Thanks for the good comments. I still remember when ALL professional truckers were called "knights of the highway". That sounds corny now, but back in the early 70's (and before) it was true. We would always stop and try to help anyone (car or truck - union, non-union or owner operator) that looked like they needed help along a 2 lane or interstate. I gave rides to quite a few up to the next town. Those were the good days of mutual respect. Now, it's all so different. If you're broke down along the highway, they won't even move over to the next lane, let alone ask if you need assistance. Way too many "hot dogs" out there now, and way too many that simply lack the skills to even be on the highway, especially during the winter snowstorms dealing with black ice and drifting snow. With so many rookies now (some can't even speak English) the old camaraderie is gone.
There are a couple U Tube websites that bring back good memories if those days. I don't think I can get it up on this site - but you can go to :
"Tribute to old trucking companies" Fallen Flags #1 and Fallen Flags #2 " on Google..Many photos of the past when things were more simple.
Even the accompanying music is sad "Dust in the Wind" I wish we could all go back to those times.
mysticobra
Over Here Now.
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Thank you.
Henryj is correct in his summery of the situation.
We are good hard working people just like anyone else. We were just drug down with all this. The union is a dinosaur. The meteor is fixing to hit. I may not be alive but the days are numbered.
Canadian Flyer
They Call Me CF, Eh
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Amen. I couldn't agree more.
skullcramp
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A lot of what gives the nons the edge is a complete lack of work rules. Sure, we could rework things but what would we get in return? 99% of us
didn't come here with an attitude. It took me 10 years to get mine. the company would love to eliminate work rules, and remain the lowest paid LTL
carrier. welch gets that across at his conference calls, and speeches to wall street. YRCW has kept wages stagnant and pension payments
virtually non-existent since the giveback..and it takes pride in having an adversarial relationship with it's rank and file employees. I see a lot of guys at the nons who seem to love their job BECAUSE it's non union. How do we change that?
Agree you are 100% correct !!
Freight Crusher
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You're kidding right? We've seen big changes to work rules to help them out. Remember the changes needed for their Velocity service? Turned out to be a money loser. How about all those outside carriers not only doing linehaul but city work too. What work rules do they need changed now?
vongrimmenstein
I stand for our flag, & kneel for the fallen
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No, Welch hasn't been the one to keep wages & pension costs low. It has been the rank & file. Let us put the blame where it belongs. The majority of the rank & file voted for less compensation for the same amount of work or maybe even more. Yea, the spineless bastards that run the IBT did nothing to help the people who make their pay checks possible. But in the end it is us the union employee who is working under the umbrella of a collective bargaining agreement that voted for less. Only we can change that. Now, if your are afraid to vote no on a contract & threaten to strike for more money because the company might fold, I can respect that. But, if that is you reasoning why bother being in the union. You will NEVER gain anything with an employer if you keep voting for what THEY want, instead of what you want’ Von.
I have been here over 31 years now, and have seen the adversarial relationship since day 1.
As far the changing the nons. It is not them that need to change. It's us. We still move freight with too many handling, which creates more damage, and service suffers. More direct loading is needed. Many of our work rules worked fine when the union companies controlled over 50 percent of the LTL freight in this country 20-30 years ago. Now we are lucky if all the union outfits together control 10 percent. No accountability for theft of time, damaging freight, poor management decisions,will be what eventually helps to put us out of business. The old saying, it's not my job, will eventually cost us all our jobs, with that attitude. Just my opinion.
There's an old saying that applies here with both the company and the union top brass "The fish rots from the head down".
If the CEO of a company or head of the union is incompetent and has NO concern for those he is supposed to be leading, the attitude and quality of work of all those under them deteriorates, and morale goes in the tank. That's what's happened with Hoffa and the ever changing bosses at YRC. They are just there for the money. They stay long enough to pad their retirement, then they're gone taking big bonuses with them going out the door.
Hoffa, on the other hand, doesn't have the decency to just go away. He is in it for not only the money (which he has plenty of), he is feeding his own ego, too. He laughs at the members who won't even vote him out when it's so obvious he should go. He should be in prison, now, but that will never happen. There's way too many members that just "Don't get it" and don't care. We are our own worst enemies.
Once the Teamsters Freight Division folds, then the non-union freight workers will find out for themselves what it's like. The remaining companies will be free to do whatever they want to their employees. No work rules, no contract, no overtime pay, no breakdown pay, no pay for waiting for a load to close, working "at the pleasure of the TM" who can fire at will - no such thing as a grievance procedure.