Welcome, David... this is a great place to share ideas, criticism... banter back and forth a bit. Stay. Enjoy.
davidvp said:
"...Someone from the Oak Harbor team identified this forum as a possible communication with some of our team who use this regularly..."
Yes, I've heard Roy the Portland TM is pulling in stewards and interrogating them as to their knowledge of this site and the identities of those who post here.
How very like Roy. Can you say W-I-T-C-H-H-U-N-T, boys and girls? I guess strong opinions aren't appreciated anymore... (sigh)
davidvp said:
"...1. I find it a little difficult to respond because of the tone that I read in this note. I personally would not work for someone or some place that I felt purposely lied to me or to my team. Oak Harbor is not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, the leaders of Oak Harbor make mistakes everyday but to purposely lie or mislead, I don't see that, and again personally speaking,I would not work at some place who I felt did that to me or someone on my team..."
Well, I don't know what to tell you. This is a forum where opinions and ideas and criticism run rampant, so either you can handle it, or you can't. I've had to sit through my fair share of meetings at this company and others where I wasn't exactly happy with what was being talked about or felt my input was being received well, but then, I didn't have a choice did I? No mandatory meetings on this site.
As to the comments about purposely lying or deceiving, I again turn to the anti-union propaganda you are spreading around to the many terminals which are trying to unionize. You have made blatantly false or misleading statements. I talked to a guy I know in Eugene a while back, and he is still steamed how you lied to his face about how the union supposedly left money sitting on the table at the culmination of the last negotiations, i.e. the retroactive wages.
Let me set the record straight: the money was not left on the table, it was converted to pension, which was a much better deal for us anyhow. This gentleman (and he is apparently not alone in this opinion) felt that they were flat-out lied to for the purposes of making the union negotiators look inept. Nor is this the only example of half-truths thrown out there by the management of this company.
I remember that in Bend and in Eugene, there were comments made about how "the Boise employees were very unhappy with the union after having voted them in", when in fact nothing could be further from the truth.
Funny how you could only scrape up one guy from Bend who had something bad to say about the union, even though this guy never once joined the union in the whole two years they were union, and was doing everything he could to get the union out the whole time. The whole thing backfired anyhow because even the anti-union employees in Eugene couldn't stand the guy.
The fact of the matter is, if one wanted to work somewhere where management was perfect and never lied or played games or whatever, one would have to go to work for himself, because that animal doesn't exist, and never has.
Sorry for the cynicism, but that's many, many moons of experience talking...
davidvp said:
"...2. Anit - Union Statements by the Company - there is a process in place for employees who want to be represented by a union. The company is just sharing our feelings that we don't think having a third (3rd) party in between the leaders and the team is a wise thing..."
Hmmm... Funny how none of the union terminals that have been union for a while now share that way of thinking.
However, it's the misrepresentation, the half-truths, and the flat-out propaganda that has us all up in arms. We've all seen it and heard it. The videos. The letters. The face-to-face meetings where you have told us that you and the rest of the family would be personally offended if we were to go union.
Well, sir... I'm personally offended that you would say that to me. How 'bout them apples?
The union side of this company has a superior pension, medical benefits and better work rules than the non-union side. We all see that. We all want that. And all of the propaganda in the world will not change the facts.
Numbers don't lie, David. Management does.
As to the whole third-party concept... you just don't get it... do you? There is no third party out there standing between you and us. WE ARE THE UNION! Every single Teamster in this company is the union! We simply prefer being able to negotiate for our supper rather than having you dictate to us what you feel we are worth. And I do not doubt for a second we have gotten a better deal because of that fact.
How about the fact you use a third party to negotiate with the union employees! Bob the retired Teamster milkman? Remember him? Or next time is it to be Mr. Paine, otherwise know in certain circles as the Coming of the Apocalypse? I shiver in anticipation and unholy dread.
I can tell you this, though. We will see this company fully organized, and sooner than you might think. Or fear. It is going to happen, and I highly suggest you get used to that concept, because it's coming like a mighty wind...
davidvp said:
"...As we have gotten larger in the past many years it is more difficult to communicate to team members thru out five (5) state service terminal network. We are looking at doing three (3) different improvements this year..."
Great! Too bad it took a lot of terminals trying to go union to get this whole thing going, but I do applaud it. Just remember though... cynicism runs deep in this company. Talk is great, but without action, it is meaningless.
You know something, David? I really like this company, and I want to see it grow and prosper. I just don't want to grow on our backs like it has since we left Master Freight in '85. remember that? When you dad came to us and asked us to give him concessions so he could survive? And so we did, and ever since, we have seen our wages stagnate while the company and profits grew and grew and grew.
David, we both want the same future for this company... we just have different visions on how to get there. In the end, the truth will win out.
Of that I have little doubt...
