ABF | BA not doing job ?

[vongrimmenstein]

Well........that might be illegal,......determined by what that Local’s “Fair Share”........the amount of money determined every year by the LM-2 as to how much dues money is diverted to political and “other” uses......

It is possible......that your Local claims that every dollar collected from dues goes toward representation......only it’s not probable.
Several Unions claiming that have had their LM-2’s audited.......pushed by business advocacy groups,.....and were sued...by the business groups.....”on behalf of the rank-and-file”......for the slightest questionable item.

One $10 donation to a politician of any party,......one campaign sign on Union property. (Payment-in-kind).......and your Local is sued for violating the “rights” of the rank-and-file......

Never mind that businesses can plaster campaign posters all over the property,.......and thanks to Citizens United,.....can donate wads of cash without accountability......

Pretty much all Locals determine that at least 85% of dues is the “Fair Share” is what most dues payers have to pay for representation.

Now there are Beck laws that allow an employee to pay NO dues......but they have different requirements.

I have said it before. The laws in this country are written to benefit the business, not the employees that make the business possible. I know of the Labor strife from 1920 to the 50's from reading accounts from both sides. A lot of people were killed, maimed, or never able to work again due to the company agents actions. Workers gave a lot so we could have a better work place. And now I see these gains being reversed. Until the rank & file storm the palace gates, they will suffer more & more from their employer. Like they say @ the wedding, "speak up now or forever hold your peace. von.

 

[Jaloc]

Many cash-strapped Locals also make decisions to go to Panel based on.....financial considerations. Anyone who has filed a grievance knows that the sentence after the decision reads: "Cost to Company/Union."........depending on who lost....

This pays for the cost of the hearing,...room rental,...travel expenses ,..and other sundries...

Under normal circumstances,..any Union wouldn't have to worry about fighting for a case they think is even marginally right.....

But,....in this day and age of Janus decisions, Fair-Share payers, Beck Laws,...and Right-To-Work Laws,......many smaller Locals are now underfunded......(...and the "kicker" is that the Union, by Law,....MUST provide representation even to those who refuse to pay Dues!...)......
A case that might be about a...minor point...in the contract may be deemed not worthy of spending money to fight....Even though that "point" may be important to you.....

This is the real reason for all those so-called "Right not to join" laws......Corporations have banded together..(..A UNION!..)..to push a legislative agenda to....gradually de-fund Locals by bleeding the dues money out,....using company propaganda to convince the chronically uninformed that their..."rights"...are being violated....

I had a guy in my own barn who said he would become a "Fair-Share" payer,....because he could buy a CASE OF BEER! with the money he saved by not paying dues!.....How's that for selling your birthright for a mess of pottage?

It is terrible that many Locals have got to that point,...only taking on the bigger cases that are sure winners,....because they can't afford the price tag for "justice"......

Hopefully, that's not the case in your Local, Brother........

Why should I pay dues to a Union that negotiates concessions freezes pension contributions and forces contracts even when a majority vote no?

 

[canaryinthemine]

Why should I pay dues to a Union that negotiates concessions freezes pension contributions and forces contracts even when a majority vote no?

That's a very good question.

And the answer, Brother....would be that the structure of a Union contract,...and your grievance machinery,....is well worth preserving, even during bad contracts.
Kind of like retaining your First Amendment rights at work.

The problem about bad contracts,....is the members themselves. Look at the voting totals.......Any given contract,...you had at least 20% of the affected membership not even bothering to vote one way or another...

In the Local I retired from,...we had 2800 members,...the bulk in UPS and Supervalu. Yet every monthly meeting, there was only the same 30-40 guys show up.....On Saturday......

Most Union members take their membership for granted...(..grudgingly..).....Yet they can be enthusiasts about gun rights, football games, car shows,....and other...non-paycheck ..related items.
What would Unions look like if the membership put that same enthusiasm into Worker's rights?

In case you don't know,....and many don't.......your ability to join a Union is guaranteed by the Fair Labor Standards Act, based on decisions, fought heavily by big business,....of arguments about First Amendment rights.
In other words......it's not illegal to join a Union...

However,...Big Business,....knowing they can't reverse the First Amendment,......have banded together to launch a propaganda campaign against Union membership..........and a very successful campaign it is......

Ever hear of the "Pogo Principle"?........a cartoon character who said: "We Have Met The Enemy,..And He Is Us.."

That's Us.....in the Unions......our own worst enemy, sometimes....

The alternative to having those bad contracts jammed down your throat due to rotten leadership, indifferent membership, and an uneducated rank-and-file..........

......is No Union at all.......

Your boss would dance with glee.........

 

[canaryinthemine]

..............Show up at monthly meetings.......take notes........hold Local leaders accountable.........ask questions..........Get a copy of the Local Bylaws..(..and READ it!..)....

We're Truck Drivers , for cryin' out loud! ....we're SUPPOSED to have the ..cojones...to be able to ask impertinent questions....without wetting our pants....

It all starts at the Local level..........If you want the Union to work for you,......then YOU got to do the work to INSURE it's a GOOD Union........

No one else will do it.....Not Gub'mint,....not your wife,....not even Rush Limbaugh.......

If you throw your hands up in the air and say: "T' Hell wid it! Too hard .....and I ain't botherin' wid it!....."

....then the Bosses win..........

 

[vongrimmenstein]

Show up @ monthly meetings? Ha. ABF Freight (050) @ Local 135 had about a 75 man board during my 18 years. Unless food or a very hot topic was involved, you were lucky to have 10 people show up on any given Sunday @ 0900. Not surprising. For the last 2 General elections for the IBT you never had more than 22% bother to vote. Why would meetings be any different? Apathy at its finest. I agree with you Brother Canary, but first, ya got to get em there to the table to have an effect. Von.

 

[canaryinthemine]

Dancing girls?.........car raffle?.........gun bash drawing just before Old Business\New Business?.........free ice cream?

Shouldn’t be that hard to get guys to care about their First Amendment rights.........

 

[Triplex]

Show up @ monthly meetings? Ha. ABF Freight (050) @ Local 135 had about a 75 man board during my 18 years. Unless food or a very hot topic was involved, you were lucky to have 10 people show up on any given Sunday @ 0900. Not surprising. For the last 2 General elections for the IBT you never had more than 22% bother to vote. Why would meetings be any different? Apathy at its finest. I agree with you Brother Canary, but first, ya got to get em there to the table to have an effect. Von.

Much easier to complain after the fact in your pajamas on an Internet site (TB of course) than to shower, dress and drive to a meeting.

 

[vongrimmenstein]

Much easier to complain after the fact in your pajamas on an Internet site (TB of course) than to shower, dress and drive to a meeting.

How true that is. von.

 

[vongrimmenstein]

Think of appreciation day. Boss brings food in around 8 AM. He suffers serious injuries trying to get away from the stampeding herd. Come 3:30 bid time, the food is decimated. Crumbs for the the afternoon guys & the midnight shift. Local freight meetings are no different. Bring food, herd will follow. von.

 

[vongrimmenstein]

I do remember Dave Baker who is now in the Kansas terminal. He was our ops supervisor @ (050). He new how to plan a feast & I never had a problem with him as long as he kept the chafing dishes full. He also was a good computer guy. Software & hardware. Come to think of it, I should blame him for my weight gain. All the others ran out of food & forced me on to a diet. Still, lack of food or not, I admit my 18 years @ ABF were the best years I had in the work force. von.

 

[Homesick]

I would like to point out that the union does help with company oppression and benefits us with work rules that keep the company respectful of its employees but it is the government that has increased our wages over the last 10 to 15 years. The hours of service regulations, medical standards, CDL licenses (not having multiple licenses in multiple states), Haz-Mat testing, back ground testing, CSA reports, etc, have all reduced the number of eligible truck drivers. And in this way has created a driver shortage which has led to increased wages, benefits, and job security. But it is the union and its work rules that has kept the companies respectful of their employees. That is what we pay the union for and most of us appreciate it even if we don't go to the union meets as often as we should and we sometimes complain about them. not-von.

 

[Trucker 206]

I do remember Dave Baker who is now in the Kansas terminal. He was our ops supervisor @ (050). He new how to plan a feast & I never had a problem with him as long as he kept the chafing dishes full. He also was a good computer guy. Software & hardware. Come to think of it, I should blame him for my weight gain. All the others ran out of food & forced me on to a diet. Still, lack of food or not, I admit my 18 years @ ABF were the best years I had in the work force. von.

Gosh, I wish I could say the same about my years at ABF, brother Von. It certainly was ‘economically advantageous’ but marred with continuous head-butting with my ‘shop steward’ about such ‘minor’ things as seniority violations and contract language.

We’re about due for a phone conversation! I think I still have your number. If not, I’ll PM you.

 

[vongrimmenstein]

Our my last 10 years I had John McKnight for our Steward. And he was good. He is locked & loaded with common sense. And being like that I can attest to the fact we had very few issues with seniority problems He would file on it in a heart beat. 050 paid a lot of money in these types of disputes. But after a while they backed off & started doing it right more times than wrong. In the end the Hall wouldn't help him on some serious issues, telling him not to rock the boat. So he resigned as Steward. He was very good @ what he did. And most important he could quote chapter & verse the rules. And he had copies of past practice & agreements between ABF & the Hall that supported his argument. Now retired, he is running the Indianapolis chapter of the National Committee to Protect Pensions. A stand guy. von.

 

[Trucker 206]

Our my last 10 years I had John McKnight for our Steward. And he was good. He is locked & loaded with common sense. And being like that I can attest to the fact we had very few issues with seniority problems He would file on it in a heart beat. 050 paid a lot of money in these types of disputes. But after a while they backed off & started doing it right more times than wrong. In the end the Hall wouldn't help him on some serious issues, telling him not to rock the boat. So he resigned as Steward. He was very good @ what he did. And most important he could quote chapter & verse the rules. And he had copies of past practice & agreements between ABF & the Hall that supported his argument. Now retired, he is running the Indianapolis chapter of the National Committee to Protect Pensions. A stand guy. von.

I certainly could’ve used a fellow like him.

 

[vongrimmenstein]

1998 to 2016 I was blessed to have a union job, a great steward, & half way decent BA. The one thing I found out is your Local & the International VP's influence your job & bend the contract to what they want, not what is best for the rank & file. When it became hard for the IBT, they caved. They sold out it's members. And we, the rank & file could change that in a heart beat. As long as you have 20% or less members bother to vote or go to meetings, nothing will change. Why should it? We give the elected IBT leaders all the reason they need by not participating. Which allows them to govern with little or no pressure from the very people who put them in office. von.

 

[canaryinthemine]

I would like to point out that the union does help with company oppression and benefits us with work rules that keep the company respectful of its employees but it is the government that has increased our wages over the last 10 to 15 years. The hours of service regulations, medical standards, CDL licenses (not having multiple licenses in multiple states), Haz-Mat testing, back ground testing, CSA reports, etc, have all reduced the number of eligible truck drivers. And in this way has created a driver shortage which has led to increased wages, benefits, and job security. But it is the union and its work rules that has kept the companies respectful of their employees. That is what we pay the union for and most of us appreciate it even if we don't go to the union meets as often as we should and we sometimes complain about them. not-von.

That's true, Brother,....But you've got to remember that the HOS regulations, HAZ-MAT rules, and medical rules ...were all lobbied heavily by the insurance industry that insures the companies and equipment,....to defray part of the liability onto the driver..

Having worked through de-regulation in the '80's,....I saw how companies hired the....barely marginal, to drive the marginally legal,..and get paid marginally.......

The ..."standards"....pre-CDL......were ..putrid.., to say the least.... This is when companies were allowed to "self-regulate" their own hiring standards.......
....With sometimes disastrous results.........
There was no....moral compunction,...for companies to put good, qualified people behind the wheel, and pay them to be....professional.....

The Hiring ideal back then ,..was to hire the most desperate, economically-challenged people you could find,.......because they would accept the cheapest pay and wouldn't know what a legal violation of either equipment or HOS was........

All in the name of ....Profit........To Hell with "Highway Safety",....and the general public........

All those things you mentioned,.....were instituted in RESPONSE to companies' FAILURE to regulate their workforce.......
The...."cowboys"...of the '80's....bragged about driving 30 hours straight,.....running 110,000 lbs......running cars off the road.......pushing unsafe equipment to the extreme........

YeeHaw!

........And,...Who Profited?

Prior to deregulation,....the HOS rules hadn't changed for 30 or so years,......and company fleets prided themselves on appearance and maintenance....
...and about 70% were Teamster,...under a National contract,.....negotiating the highest Blue Collar wage in America,.....to reflect the difficult and long hours truck drivers worked,....as opposed to other blue collar occupations.......

See how Corporate Greed impacted an entire industry,...(..still does..).....and , eventually , all of our wallets......?

 

[nightowl]

I do remember Dave Baker who is now in the Kansas terminal. He was our ops supervisor @ (050). He new how to plan a feast & I never had a problem with him as long as he kept the chafing dishes full. He also was a good computer guy. Software & hardware. Come to think of it, I should blame him for my weight gain. All the others ran out of food & forced me on to a diet. Still, lack of food or not, I admit my 18 years @ ABF were the best years I had in the work force. von.

I believe this may be the same Dave Baker we have in Orlando now. He said he came from KC....

 

[iam4us]

How many members that actually step foot into a hall actually took the Oath? From my experience, leaders dont abide by the oath, their elected office or reasoning for being a Teamster. When questioned, they shun or attack back, create division. Many if not all leaders elected dont and wont follow through with campaign promises, agendas. Elected positions, staff, BAs etc are just hanger on ers, talking about the good ole days and trying to be relevant from the past. It chaps my ass when i see people saying, "go to meetings" yada yada.. Meetings make most guys skin peel, angers. Its like church, do you have to attend to believe in God, or be Christian? The definition of a Teamster is not how many meetings are attended. Road drivers cannot have luxury of Sat mornings off for the first 20 years of ABF life..

 

[canaryinthemine]

How many members that actually step foot into a hall actually took the Oath? From my experience, leaders dont abide by the oath, their elected office or reasoning for being a Teamster. When questioned, they shun or attack back, create division. Many if not all leaders elected dont and wont follow through with campaign promises, agendas. Elected positions, staff, BAs etc are just hanger on ers, talking about the good ole days and trying to be relevant from the past. It chaps my ass when i see people saying, "go to meetings" yada yada.. Meetings make most guys skin peel, angers. Its like church, do you have to attend to believe in God, or be Christian? The definition of a Teamster is not how many meetings are attended. Road drivers cannot have luxury of Sat mornings off for the first 20 years of ABF life..

Ahh, Brother......Let me tell you a long sad story.......

I was involved in a NLRB lawsuit against the Teamsters and Ryder Systems at the time.
I also was informed I was blackballed by the IBT.......while I was trying to dispatch 250 miles from my home...
Lonely feeling.....

If anyone would have a reason to.....hate.....the IBT,.....it would be me. My wife was pregnant at the time, we lost our insurance......I had no job, and I was persona non grata throughout the Teamsters Union.

We won the lawsuit......

And, ....after 9 years of being an O/O,.....I got back in the same Local we had filed the lawsuit against.

I vowed I would never again sit by idly while the Good Ol' Boys cavorted.
I went to every meeting and took notes,...sat in the front row.....
Asked questions and had a few shouting matches.....
So did others,....not just me.....

But.....it's MY UNION....and My Father's......and I'll be damned if anyone is going to ruin my pride in an organization that.......if run properly........protects worker's rights.

There's very few of those left......and I felt it was worthwhile to work to make our Local, at least,...something to be proud of.

You can either do that.......or you can walk away.....
And the bosses win..........

 

[Elwood]

Ahh, Brother......Let me tell you a long sad story.......

I was involved in a NLRB lawsuit against the Teamsters and Ryder Systems at the time.
I also was informed I was blackballed by the IBT.......while I was trying to dispatch 250 miles from my home...
Lonely feeling.....

If anyone would have a reason to.....hate.....the IBT,.....it would be me. My wife was pregnant at the time, we lost our insurance......I had no job, and I was persona non grata throughout the Teamsters Union.

We won the lawsuit......

And, ....after 9 years of being an O/O,.....I got back in the same Local we had filed the lawsuit against.

I vowed I would never again sit by idly while the Good Ol' Boys cavorted.
I went to every meeting and took notes,...sat in the front row.....
Asked questions and had a few shouting matches.....
So did others,....not just me.....

But.....it's MY UNION....and My Father's......and I'll be damned if anyone is going to ruin my pride in an organization that.......if run properly........protects worker's rights.

There's very few of those left......and I felt it was worthwhile to work to make our Local, at least,...something to be proud of.

You can either do that.......or you can walk away.....
And the bosses win..........

For you Canary, that was definitely not long, nor was it sad.

Putting in the time for a cause deeply felt, is never wasted. Passion keeps us alive.