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ABF | Is ABF Having a Little Trouble With Their Vacation Policy?

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Unconfirmed story going around is that ABF is feeling the pinch on new hires with that shiny new no vacation policy and that they want to give a little back to the no vacation/one week vacation folks. I knew they got a little too greedy with that one and it would come as no surprise to me if it is the case. I figured that they'd be coming back for another bite of our apple and use the vacation as a chip to gouge us for something else.
 
We had a V.P. of sales come in to give us a little Rah-Rah, and we asked him if it was true that ABF wanted to re-open the contract to adjust their vacation policy to facilitate new-hires getting vacation quicker than 8 years. He said it was, and that the proposal to the IBT was that employees with less than 5 years would revert back to the old vacation schedule. The IBT,.....to their credit,....told ABF that any change in the vacation policy would be either unilateral,....across the board,....or nothing,.....no re-opening of the contract. We also asked him if it was true that company demographics had decided that about half of ABF's work force was 55 to 60 years old. ....A slight gulp,.....some silence,....and then,...an admission that, yes, about half of ABF's work force was between 55 and 60 years old,..........or another way of putting it,....within 2 years of retirement. Certainly retirement before the next contract. All I can see,....and hear,....about the word on the street, and the new-hires we're getting, is that the only reason anyone's coming to ABF is the pension plans,.......either to get started in a defined-benefit plan,.....or to add to an already vested account with a plan. ABF upper management might want to re-think their idea of proposing a defined-contribution plan to ABF employees. New-hires are only coming because of defined-benefit plans,.....not wages,...there are some non-Union LTL's that pay more than us, and there are other industries that require a CDL that pay WAY more than ABF,......New-hires aren't coming because of working conditions,.....every carrier out there has started to coddle their existing drivers so they don't jump ship......Probably some new-hires are coming on because we,.....currently,.....don't pay anything for health care, as opposed to the non's charging their employees $50 to $100 a week to....."maintain"...a health care plan. So...........ABF upper management,.......you may want to strengthen your various benefit programs,....instead of trying to weasel out of them. Imagine if ABF would've adopted a defined-contribution 401(k) style of plan as was proposed during the 2008 contract talks. Sure, it would have saved ABF some money,.....but the non-Union LTL's are watching their employees jump from job to job,...because a 401(k) plan is portable......so there's no financial reason to stay at an underpaying carrier,...at least no pension reason. If ABF would have that style of "pension" program, now.......and their current vacation schedule,.....and their pay structure..(WE are HIGHLY UNDERPAID, Ms. McReynolds, Mr. Slagle......Enjoy your bonuses, by the way.......).......exactly WHAT would ABF have to offer any hot new-hire with a CDL HAZ-MAT D/T that a non-Union carrier couldn't match or beat? And,.......with no re-opener to re-adjust pay and vacation within the next two years,........just exactly HOW did you say you're going to replace about HALF of your work force? A "bonus" program, you say? No promise,....just the carrot on the stick,....way, way out in front of us?.......Yeah, I can see the new-hires flooding in there now...........hollering: "Bonus! Bonus!"
 
Am i wrong or was it the unions idea on the vacation because we had to give something back ,just asking could be wrong though
 
In the rarified air that the denizens of the Marble Palace in Washington D.C. breathe,......anything would be possible. Our so-called Union ...."leaders"....proposing to give something back, just because the company said we "have to".....giving up our right of collaboration of verification on discipline based on surveillance videos,.....in this day and age of Photoshop.......? Yeah,......I could conceive of Mr. Johnson having a rough night, and blurting out: "We'll give you Vacations! Just let me leave this room to get a cup of coffee and an aspirin!".........Yup,......negotiations are a stressful business,........especially when they detract from real important things,.....like tee-time at the country club, and the price of 10 year old four-malt scotch rising to unheard-of levels,.............By the way,....Ideas usually require brains, not a rubber stamp. I think all the "brains" were on one side of the negotiating table,....and they certainly didn't have us big dummy truck drivers' interests at heart......
 
Corroboration!.....Dammit! ....I meant Corroboration,....not collaboration. Collaboration is what our so-called...."leaders"..... did with the ABF lawyers during the negotiations. They probably all "collaborated" over a few drinks in the bar at that fancy hotel, too.....
 
abfempm said:
Am i wrong or was it the unions idea on the vacation because we had to give something back ,just asking could be wrong though
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This a popular but unconfirmed rumor. I was thinking that maybe the brains really were on our side and that our hard fighting conniving leaders stuck this time bomb into into the contract so the company would come begging for mercy before the 5 years was up.
 
ABFer said:
This a popular but unconfirmed rumor. I was thinking that maybe the brains really were on our side and that our hard fighting conniving leaders stuck this time bomb into into the contract so the company would come begging for mercy before the 5 years was up.
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Aha! Like murky swamp water,...it's all becoming clear....You mean to say that our Head Postulators in charge of negotiations actually out-witted their counterparts, and agreed to a provision that would eventually have ABF begging to be back at the negotiating table? Cazart!!.. I'll be betting the farm that when they return to the table, our Solons of Mediation will fix all the other ....."problems".... they negotiated, too...........And a pay raise, to boot..........I mean, instead of a "bonus"........
 
canaryinthemine said:
We had a V.P. of sales come in to give us a little Rah-Rah, and we asked him if it was true that ABF wanted to re-open the contract to adjust their vacation policy to facilitate new-hires getting vacation quicker than 8 years. He said it was, and that the proposal to the IBT was that employees with less than 5 years would revert back to the old vacation schedule. The IBT,.....to their credit,....told ABF that any change in the vacation policy would be either unilateral,....across the board,....or nothing,.....no re-opening of the contract. We also asked him if it was true that company demographics had decided that about half of ABF's work force was 55 to 60 years old. ....A slight gulp,.....some silence,....and then,...an admission that, yes, about half of ABF's work force was between 55 and 60 years old,..........or another way of putting it,....within 2 years of retirement. Certainly retirement before the next contract. All I can see,....and hear,....about the word on the street, and the new-hires we're getting, is that the only reason anyone's coming to ABF is the pension plans,.......either to get started in a defined-benefit plan,.....or to add to an already vested account with a plan. ABF upper management might want to re-think their idea of proposing a defined-contribution plan to ABF employees. New-hires are only coming because of defined-benefit plans,.....not wages,...there are some non-Union LTL's that pay more than us, and there are other industries that require a CDL that pay WAY more than ABF,......New-hires aren't coming because of working conditions,.....every carrier out there has started to coddle their existing drivers so they don't jump ship......Probably some new-hires are coming on because we,.....currently,.....don't pay anything for health care, as opposed to the non's charging their employees $50 to $100 a week to....."maintain"...a health care plan. So...........ABF upper management,.......you may want to strengthen your various benefit programs,....instead of trying to weasel out of them. Imagine if ABF would've adopted a defined-contribution 401(k) style of plan as was proposed during the 2008 contract talks. Sure, it would have saved ABF some money,.....but the non-Union LTL's are watching their employees jump from job to job,...because a 401(k) plan is portable......so there's no financial reason to stay at an underpaying carrier,...at least no pension reason. If ABF would have that style of "pension" program, now.......and their current vacation schedule,.....and their pay structure..(WE are HIGHLY UNDERPAID, Ms. McReynolds, Mr. Slagle......Enjoy your bonuses, by the way.......).......exactly WHAT would ABF have to offer any hot new-hire with a CDL HAZ-MAT D/T that a non-Union carrier couldn't match or beat? And,.......with no re-opener to re-adjust pay and vacation within the next two years,........just exactly HOW did you say you're going to replace about HALF of your work force? A "bonus" program, you say? No promise,....just the carrot on the stick,....way, way out in front of us?.......Yeah, I can see the new-hires flooding in there now...........hollering: "Bonus! Bonus!"
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If you dont mind the question, what do you get paid per mile, layover, drop/hooks and all that good stuff?
 
Mileage pay is .5687, No layover pay but we get 22.6455 per hour if we layover more than 14 hours with a maximum of 8hrs pay per day. Drop and hook is 22.6455 per hour or per 4 pins if your contract still has pins in it. That is in the Southern region.
 
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Iagree with Canaryinthemine regarding the age of our workforce. I am50yrs old but I don't and won't work like I did when I was 30! Mypension is locked in, Social Security is going to pay well(hopefully), my investments are doing well and my debt is just enoughto reduce my tax burden (get more from my tax deductions). And Ibelieve I am typical within my cohort. Meaning, when ABF has a slowlybut increasing loss of employees, I and others in my cohort are notgoing to take up the slack for retiring employees. [/FONT]
 
bullwagon said:
If you dont mind the question, what do you get paid per mile, layover, drop/hooks and all that good stuff?
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Why, no,...I don't mind, Brother Bullwagon. Currently, the hourly rate is $22.72......a 7% drop from $24.42.........We get a 2% pay raise July 1, which should bring it to $23.17. Every July 1 for the next 5 years, we'll get another 2%. In the fourth year, we'll finally be back to our old pay rate,....in the fifth year we go to $25.08. Vastly underpaid. Time-and-a-half after 8, and after 40, unless you have a 5-9's bid, or a 4-10's bid. 5-9's is overtime after 9 and 45, but you're guaranteed 45. No split shifts,....consecutive days off. That's the hourly side,....I'm sure some road driver can enlighten you on the road side, although you can go to the Teamsters Union site, go to freight, and pull up the complete contract, monetary and all. We pay zero, nothing, nada, to maintain a health care plan, no matter if it's just you , or if you have 14 kids and a very tired wife. The company currently funds about 26 defined-benefit pension plans on a weekly basis,...the multiplier in our fund is about $386.00 a week. There is also a 401(k) plan, if you're so inclined, that you can put whatever excess(!) money you have. Our pensions and our health care cost us not a dime, and......"apples to apples", as it were,.....we should be including that $386.00 a week in our compensation,.......which would make our hourly rate actually $32.37. Still vastly underpaid...........
 
I want to thank all the yes voters. My mother was in the hospital, had surgery. A damn shame I had to pick between work and family. I chose family, in spite of going back to one week of vacation, and limited days off. Loss of money I could
deal with, this job is time consuming in itself, and to have days taken away from you. I was disappointed in losing vacation, and this only reinforces my disappointment.
 
ABFer said:
Unconfirmed story going around is that ABF is feeling the pinch on new hires with that shiny new no vacation policy and that they want to give a little back to the no vacation/one week vacation folks. I knew they got a little too greedy with that one and it would come as no surprise to me if it is the case. I figured that they'd be coming back for another bite of our apple and use the vacation as a chip to gouge us for something else.
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I have personally talked to other company drivers who asked about ABF. When told of the vacation the conversation usually ends.
 
I heard a rumor today that ABF is wanting to change the policy back to what it was. Due to the fact that it is a major hindrance for hiring. Looks like the policy is blowing up in their face already. I dont know if this pertains to just where I am or nationwide. And I repeat this is just a rumor I heard on a Holland dock so its probably as reliable as a channel 19 rumor.
 
I drive city in Chicago. Had a Conway driver asking me about ABF like he wants to apply. I told him what I thought and along the way he asked about vacation, when I told him what it is he said"f-that I have young kids, how would I ever take them on a vacation" Chicago is short on city-drivers and looks like they can't get qualified drivers to apply. When we were starting-out what would we have said if we were told 8 years to get 2 weeks vacation? I know I would not have stayed.
 
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