V,
... so I'll just point out a few things that aren't accurate. Hard layoffs began back in the late 90's....they aren't in any way related to this contract exclusively. They have never had to call a laid off man to work if they didn't want to.
At CVE the process was different than it was at other terminals until 4/1/08. Not that they didn't pick freight points on the board and stop calling, however they would send all the freight. Not let drivers available for work sit when they had plenty of work for them.
You probably aren't aware of local practices since you are in St Louis.
We are now in a recession, I don't care what the Gov't or the media says. It's taking it's toll on all transportation providers and we are no different. In fact, as the highest compensated workers in the industry, we are at a disadvantage to the competition in this regard.
I agree we are in a recession. That isn't what the topic here was. The topic was the effects of the new contract on the guys losing their jobs from it.
To really believe that the Companies and the Union want people to sit at home is ridiculous.
They don't want them to sit at home. They want them to quit their jobs and take jobs at non union Glen Moore. That is specifically what the topic was here. Then the company gets to save money by paying lower wages to move the same freight. The union get out of paying all those guys pensions that will never get vested, plus the contractual kickbacks from the NMFA. They get the members from USF GM back in about 4 yrs or 5 years, after their vesting is lost.
You talk a lot about Glen Moore but from all I've ever seen or read what has been posted here the only place I'm aware of that GM runs out of is KCM.
Thats because you don't live/work off the major EAST WEST corridor they are running on. I do and see them frequently since 4/1/08. Where the Yellow and Roadway trucks used to be high in numbers, now they are USF GM in high numbers.
... from what I hear they don't make much less than we do....maybe 4 or 5 cents per mile. Much better than most "chicken hauler" type operations.
Until they took their wages off their web site, they were offering 41 cents per mile. I don't really think that is anywhere close to what we make. They may have raised or lowered that, since they removed the numbers.
The savings over the rail, if any at all, will allow YRC to be more competitive and give faster service, which has been long needed.
You people keep "Parroting" this as if we didn't have a bunch of drivers they could have used to do the same thing. Did you think we forgot how to drive up here in Ohio and Pennsylvania?
All of this, and the allowing of UE workers, while not fitting in with the norm of years past as far as Teamster practices go, has all been designed to further allow YRC to really compete with those who pay a much smaller overall compensation package to their workforces.
I never said they shouldn't make changes or impliment UE drivers. I've only said the NMFA should have required they use EXISTING ROAD DRIVERS to transport the freight they are giving to USF GM. Instead, by voting YES, without protecting all the union brothers who deserved protection, the union has opened up the end of the NMFA forever in addition to screwing thousands of Drivers, Yardmen and Dockmen in the North East and California.
... we 'll take freight from them instead of the other way around, which has been going on for many years now. While you, and others, are idle now, and we all know that it's no fun, the longer term affects of the new way of doing business may very well secure your job and that of many others.
First they don't have a great track record with accomplishing the "Goals" of what they say they will accomplish. Second, do you really believe they are going to someday say to themselves...." You know, we weathered that economy pretty good. Things are looking up. Lets go ahead and let those Yellow, Roadway and Holland guys we dumped a few years ago, come back to work and not give USF GM as much. It'll cost us more, but what they Heck, they were great sports when we did it."
I respectfully disagree that all of this is a conspiracy to smack the junior drivers.
You're entitled to your opinion. My question would be to you "IF it wasn't a conspiracy, why is it that it unfolds in such a way that the company and union
BOTH profit dramatically from it.
So overall, it's my opinion that this was the IBT's way of trying to secure a future for all of us, not just those who have been here a while longer.
If you look at the UAW, the only other union on par with the teamsters, every contract they've had givebacks on , they have protected
ALL existing workers. ONE FOR ALL AND ALL FOR ONE. Maybe GM, FORD and CHRYSLER should have made them a similar offer, so they would have an incentive to sell out their members.
