For someone who goes by the handle "prounion", you need to get your facts straight. With the bank (JP Morgan/Chase) being the major lien holder for YRCW, and looking to secure their money, have demanded a plan from YRCW that will show that we can cover our leveraged debt over the long term (remainder of the contract). Without this plan, the bank will call in the notes, which, even after collatoralizing all of the assets, YRCW would still fall way short. Therefore, a yes vote from the rank & file is the only way of securing long term financing for the company. Even with the yes vote, we need to start MAKING money and not just saving or cost cutting. There is no guarantee this will work, but it's a better alternative than just giving up. On the other hand. A no vote will ensure our closure as early as mid January. It will also mean the virtual loss of Teamster presence in the LTL field, which will also speed up the race to the bottom. By this, I mean, that without the union presence in the LTL field, nonunion companies will no longer have the "shadow" of the union to encourage them to keep the standards that they have put in place. Without this "competition" to meet our pay scale, health, and retirement, you could easily see the nonunion sector, cut pay in half, make health care completely an out of pocket expense, no match to 401k's, freeze any and all pensions or do away with them completely, cut sick, personal and vacation days, or anything else they want to do to cut the standards that the union has fought for, simply because they will be able to do so.
Those of us that are retired or about to retire in a few years will see everything disappear. Doubt highly if there will be many nonunion jobs putting us on, they have been hit just like we have with this slow economy, even if not as hard. Let's see, maybe we can take a job in another field of work? Wait a sec, aren't there something like 2 million people unemployed now? Where the H E L L are you going to find a job in this economy? You can have all the skills in the world, if no one is hiring and the economy is tanking, you won't find a job that will provide what this one does.
90% of my pay is better than 0%.....do the math.
In 1974, Yellow was just a speck on the wall and just coming out of bankruptcy. They have grown in leaps and bounds since then. Many companies have disappeared during good economies. This economy now, just outright sucks. So if Yellow did it once, maybe they can do it again.
So by voting yes, I am making a stand. I am not, in your words, a p u s s y. I am not afraid (for myself) as I am able to do many more things than just drive a truck. I am afraid for those not as fortunate as myself. I am afraid for my country going backwards instead of forwards. I am afraid of what will happen to those that are retired or too old to start over, and what will happen to them. If I am Pro union, (as you claim to be), I am afraid to give up the fight and quit, and let everything they had worked for disappear. Quitters never win, and winners never quit. I am a winner, and I am fighting for my survival, your survival, the survival of the retirees, the survival of the company, and even the survival of nonunion employees in LTL. And it doesn't stop there. If our situation is an indicator, other industries may follow the same path. It could possibly be a complete collapse of our economy, and way of life in general. So call me anything you want. I am big enough to take it, and I'm set in my position. That position is a yes vote, and a commitment on my part to make sure this company and it's employees pull through the mess we are in today. I would hope the rest of the YRCW employees do the same.
I will be voting YES,beside's i only have 1 nut left,i sold the other 1 when RED STAR closed.
