ABF | Conway Laredo Votes Yes

They are not tactics as you call them, its correcting the mistruths being told by a few on the Conway board. As for the personal attack I could care less im a truck driver not a nun im pretty sure I will get over it....

Good for you truck driver.
 
None of us are interested in funding their failed pensions. And we are smart enough to be wanting our own pension like what UPS did or settle for a 401K.

Multi employer pensions are garbage.

Not so. My MEPF is considered fully funded with more than 200 companies contributing on their employees behalf. The trustees projection is that it should see substantial gains in the next five years.

Ya know you could easily have multiple streams of retirement income. Teamster's do. Pension. 401k. Other personal investments.

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Not so. My MEPF is considered fully funded with more than 200 companies contributing on their employees behalf. The trustees projection is that it should see substantial gains in the next five years.

Ya know you could easily have multiple streams of retirement income. Teamster's do. Pension. 401k. Other personal investments.

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Waisting you time, they won't believe you....
 
What really puzzles me is that some think that only NMFA freight companies contribute to our pension funds.

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Several of us try to explain that & it get frustrating saying the same thing over & over....
 
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They won't close, shareholders won't let that happen.If you went union you would have better pay , benefits, pension & work rules to name a few. My daughter who is 23 is a union nurse making $29+ an hour & she would take my insurance any day of the week over hers ....

They won't close today but what about tomorrow? I am talking about the future. I can't argue about insurance because I don't know how good or bad your insurance is. obama is going to make it great for everyone. Oh wait a minute, he is going to make it good for those that don't work. And this is what I am talking about, the union supported the election of obama and he is taking our insurance into the crapper.
 
They won't close today but what about tomorrow? I am talking about the future. I can't argue about insurance because I don't know how good or bad your insurance is. obama is going to make it great for everyone. Oh wait a minute, he is going to make it good for those that don't work. And this is what I am talking about, the union supported the election of obama and he is taking our insurance into the crapper.
I do agree with you about Obama , we pay nothing toward health care & it's top of the line... They even give 2 or 3 grand for braces up front none the less....
 
They won't close today but what about tomorrow? I am talking about the future. I can't argue about insurance because I don't know how good or bad your insurance is. obama is going to make it great for everyone. Oh wait a minute, he is going to make it good for those that don't work. And this is what I am talking about, the union supported the election of obama and he is taking our insurance into the crapper.

It really depends on what part of the country you're in. We have the choice of either the Western Teamsters plan or Select Health. Either is top tier. I chose the Select Health as it did offer better savings if your Dr's were part of their network. Medical, dental, vision. All premiums paid by the company. Good stuff. If you tried to find a comparable plan out on the open market, it would run about $1200 a month for the same coverage.


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They won't close today but what about tomorrow? I am talking about the future. I can't argue about insurance because I don't know how good or bad your insurance is. obama is going to make it great for everyone. Oh wait a minute, he is going to make it good for those that don't work. And this is what I am talking about, the union supported the election of obama and he is taking our insurance into the crapper.

I'm going to throw this out there for you to ponder a moment. All the old farts know how damn good our jobs were before deregulation. We do have the opportunity to "regulate" deregulation by simply banding together. Every last one of us. Put our foot down and let these corporate goons know that we aren't bending anymore.

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It really depends on what part of the country you're in. We have the choice of either the Western Teamsters plan or Select Health. Either is top tier. I chose the Select Health as it did offer better savings if your Dr's were part of their network. Medical, dental, vision. All premiums paid by the company. Good stuff. If you tried to find a comparable plan out on the open market, it would run about $1200 a month for the same coverage.


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That's great if you are out West. I guess I need to move. I can only speak to the conditions as they are where I live.
 
That's great if you are out West. I guess I need to move. I can only speak to the conditions as they are where I live.

The insurance shouldn't be any different in the midwest either. Just a different provider.

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Like GO40 said ,the bennies are very good.We are in the Central Pa. Teamsters fund. Other than the copay of 20.00 for doctor visit and i believe it is 100.00 for E.R. visit, I have not received a bill for any procedure for my myself or family.My son had surgery at Childrens Hospital of Phila. 16,000dollars. My out of pocket expense......0 , good bennies indeed.
 
I'm one of those "Old Farts' you mention,....I'm a pre-deregulation driver,....started in 1975,........watched the development of Con-Way,....American Freight,.......OD,......been trying to convince guys for the last 25 years that the Surface Transportation Act of 1980 was designed to break the back of the Teamsters,....Prior to 1980, roughly 80% of truckdrivers were Union,....and that included a couple of truckload carriers,...like Schneider,...whom they de-Unionized by creating Schneider National, and double-breasting it,...and bleeding it dry. Same tactic at Consolidated Freightways and Con-Way,.....only that by the time they decided to shut down CF,...the business people were so arrogant, they chose to shut down the Union carrier,.....with no prior warning,.....on Labor Day,....2006,...as a deliberate insult to working people everywhere, and the Teamsters in particular...If you don't want to be in a Union,...Vote No,...If a majority of your co-workers differ with you, and vote in a Union,....well, I guess you need to look for another job,...if being in a Union is so distasteful to you........Yeah, yeah,....I know it's terrible, having to look for another job,...I had to do it nine times,....because the competition of the carriers I was working for saw nothing wrong with slashing their employees' wages and benefits so they could slash freight rates and put my employer,....whose wages were held to a contractual level,....out of business......Nine times.......This used to be the highest-paid blue -collar job in America. Pensions used to be stable. Healthcare was premium......And then came de-regulation,...where guys were pitted against each other in a race to the bottom.....Have we touched bottom yet?....And,...would that be the reason so many non-Union guys are finally contemplating organizing? I saw the difference in our job,...from when it used to be a good job,...and a little social respect,...not much,...but much more than we have now. If you guys wish that the "Union " will let you alone 'cause all you want to do is put your head down and go to work, and ignore the daily creep of intrusive technology,....ignore the fluctuating wages, with no rhyme or reason or no tie to profit or loss,...ignore management fostering a climate where employees are encouraged to...."tattle....on other co-workers,...merely to curry favor with a morally-deficient terminal manager,....ignore worsening benefits, ...equipment,..conditions....ignore the fact that every day you lose your First Amendment Rights when you punch in,.........just ignore it all and continue to work right up to the time they get rid of you, because you're too old/ too slow/ not "friendly" enough with management/ not in the right clique'. Most non-Union guys only think about joining a Union either a half-hour after they've been fired,...or a week after they've retired........In both cases, too late.........By the way,.....Central States Pension Fund will gradually work itself out of the hole Wall Street put it into,.....along with several other Funds.....In the meantime,.......401(k)'s will have gone through several "market adjustments" where you lose half of your "investments",....and at age 65,...you realize your ...."pension"..( an annuity, really...)....is only going to pay you about $600.00 a month.....You'd better hope Obamacare still exists, and you can go on Medicare,...'cause that $600.00 a month certainly won't cover your COBRA insurance premium...........
 
I'm one of those "Old Farts' you mention,....I'm a pre-deregulation driver,....started in 1975,........watched the development of Con-Way,....American Freight,.......OD,......been trying to convince guys for the last 25 years that the Surface Transportation Act of 1980 was designed to break the back of the Teamsters,....Prior to 1980, roughly 80% of truckdrivers were Union,....and that included a couple of truckload carriers,...like Schneider,...whom they de-Unionized by creating Schneider National, and double-breasting it,...and bleeding it dry. Same tactic at Consolidated Freightways and Con-Way,.....only that by the time they decided to shut down CF,...the business people were so arrogant, they chose to shut down the Union carrier,.....with no prior warning,.....on Labor Day,....2006,...as a deliberate insult to working people everywhere, and the Teamsters in particular...If you don't want to be in a Union,...Vote No,...If a majority of your co-workers differ with you, and vote in a Union,....well, I guess you need to look for another job,...if being in a Union is so distasteful to you........Yeah, yeah,....I know it's terrible, having to look for another job,...I had to do it nine times,....because the competition of the carriers I was working for saw nothing wrong with slashing their employees' wages and benefits so they could slash freight rates and put my employer,....whose wages were held to a contractual level,....out of business......Nine times.......This used to be the highest-paid blue -collar job in America. Pensions used to be stable. Healthcare was premium......And then came de-regulation,...where guys were pitted against each other in a race to the bottom.....Have we touched bottom yet?....And,...would that be the reason so many non-Union guys are finally contemplating organizing? I saw the difference in our job,...from when it used to be a good job,...and a little social respect,...not much,...but much more than we have now. If you guys wish that the "Union " will let you alone 'cause all you want to do is put your head down and go to work, and ignore the daily creep of intrusive technology,....ignore the fluctuating wages, with no rhyme or reason or no tie to profit or loss,...ignore management fostering a climate where employees are encouraged to...."tattle....on other co-workers,...merely to curry favor with a morally-deficient terminal manager,....ignore worsening benefits, ...equipment,..conditions....ignore the fact that every day you lose your First Amendment Rights when you punch in,.........just ignore it all and continue to work right up to the time they get rid of you, because you're too old/ too slow/ not "friendly" enough with management/ not in the right clique'. Most non-Union guys only think about joining a Union either a half-hour after they've been fired,...or a week after they've retired........In both cases, too late.........By the way,.....Central States Pension Fund will gradually work itself out of the hole Wall Street put it into,.....along with several other Funds.....In the meantime,.......401(k)'s will have gone through several "market adjustments" where you lose half of your "investments",....and at age 65,...you realize your ...."pension"..( an annuity, really...)....is only going to pay you about $600.00 a month.....You'd better hope Obamacare still exists, and you can go on Medicare,...'cause that $600.00 a month certainly won't cover your COBRA insurance premium...........

I put the "old fart" tag out just hoping a veteran would reply. What a truly wonderful post. Thank you.

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Actually, I like "Curmudgeon",........Doesn't have quite the aromatic qualities as "Old Fart"..........Gotta stick it out two more years, Brother,..........I'll be 63 then,....I've got to do this because I've got 4 children stretched out over a 16 year period,.........every time I got laid off,...she got pregnant. ..(I guess you stick with what you're good at.....).....Raised 4 children in a two bedroom home,........Last one left college last year,...all have good jobs,.....but,.....Foolish Me,........I promised each one I'd pay for one year of college,....and after that, they were on their own,......So now,...I have Four Years Of College I'm paying on......(..And no degree of my own...)(....wouldn't change a thing,....happy to go til I'm 63...)
 
Hey Canary: Good post. Just like to correct 1 thing, CF closed their doors in 2002. I remember it well because it happen to me.
 
Hey Bigfoot 007. Just a few thoughts on being a member of the Teamsters. While I am not real happy with my current leadership on all levels, it is better than the alternative. I enjoy being employed under the umbrella of a Collective Bargaining Agreement. It spells out the working rules & regulations the employer & employee have to live under. A very large majority of non union companies tell you to take it or leave. For a very minor infraction of the rules under a non union company, you are terminated with no recourse. Under a CBA there are steps the company has to take when you screw up.
On the flip side of being a Union Member there is a company called Eli Lilly Pharmaceuticals in Indianapolis. They really don’t need a Union & the employees don’t want one. Lilly pays them a good wage, pretty good benefits, pretty fair retirement package & they have a board made up of management & workers who hear cases of employees who break the rules. With steps of discipline before losing your job. So I ask why haven’t the employees @ Lilly since 1876 organized & vote in a Union? Because they are content with the wages & benefits the company offers.

As for Con-Way, they have no CBA. Every day they try to work their people 14 hours as allowed under the DOT HOS. In Indy alone Con-Way lost about 30 drivers to Old Dominion with the promise of not forcing them over 10 hours. Don’t know how that is working, but how many companies in this country demand you work 12 to 14 hours each day. Not many that we are aware of. Once again, a CBA prevents abuse of the kind Con-Way is known for. I am not content, but I am grateful I am a member of a Union working under a CBA. One last thought. I have been employed by ABF under a CBA for the last 15 years. I pay about 60.00 bucks a month in dues. And I have NEVER and I mean NEVER paid the first dime for my Medical Premium. ABF pays all of it because of the CBA my Union obtained for me. Beat that with a stick. Von.
If I could add something, if you don't mind.... At conway, those working 14 hours bid on those runs. Now , you'll have a few whom will say they are force into it, but most can bid out of it every january, if they wish. Those that went to OD are probably making the same money, but most have to do it in 6 punches,,wher we do it in 5.

Where conway makes the best next day service, those hours are required..but you get paid for every minute of it and like I said, you can bid back to the city or vis versa, and keep your seniority, once every year. If you have a few years in, they don't have to work 13 or 14, you bid on it, because you want the money. Conway operates nothing like ABF or YRC, or OD for that matter. They are a regional next day carrier, and it takes everybody's effort to profitably move that freight. Thanks.
 
Hey Canary: Good post. Just like to correct 1 thing, CF closed their doors in 2002. I remember it well because it happen to me.

Yes,....I'm sorry about the date, Brother,.....I think you corrected me before. If I do it again , I'll gladly accept the "Old Fart' status,......maybe even "Senile Old Fart".......Brother Big Daddy,.....you'd be the perfect one to explain the CF/Con-Way scenario to some of the Con-Way guys who 'd rather accept their management's version of what happened. You were at CF long before most of them were employed at Con-Way......
 
Yes,....I'm sorry about the date, Brother,.....I think you corrected me before. If I do it again , I'll gladly accept the "Old Fart' status,......maybe even "Senile Old Fart".......Brother Big Daddy,.....you'd be the perfect one to explain the CF/Con-Way scenario to some of the Con-Way guys who 'd rather accept their management's version of what happened. You were at CF long before most of them were employed at Con-Way......

Turn over at Con-way is very high. Keeps the top of the board thin and the bottom of the board clueless.
 
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