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XPO | LTU and the union

radman said:
Did you read comic books as a kid? Superman went to the bizzaro world where everything was opposite and he met the bad superman. Thats me and you, we are the same but different. This is by far the best job I have ever had. I have had some really crappy jobs as well. Where the bizzaro world part comes in is I view the people running the company as a threat to my health and welfare. I work harder and harder just trying to maintain my families standard of living. A standard of living that we did not have before I got off of the road and signed on with this outfit.A standard of living that I really enjoy and appreciate.A middle class standard living where I can make 70K a year and still make it to my kids baseball games. The company does not want to share the spoils of our success, they want to keep it for themselves. Just think, If they had given us a raise this year they might have avoided all of this.
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you're driving a truck, making 70 grand, and attending your kid's ball game. And this isn't good enough for you? How much to shut you up until next June? come on, give me a number... 50 cents?, 75?, ok, ok how about a buck? Do we have a deal?
 
Merdock said:
you're driving a truck, making 70 grand, and attending your kid's ball game. And this isn't good enough for you? How much to shut you up until next June? come on, give me a number... 50 cents?, 75?, ok, ok how about a buck? Do we have a deal?
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There are alway's two side's to every coin, how much to get you wake up if they start taking away even more, 50 cent's on up?
 
radman said:
Did you read comic books as a kid? Superman went to the bizzaro world where everything was opposite and he met the bad superman. Thats me and you, we are the same but different. This is by far the best job I have ever had. I have had some really crappy jobs as well. Where the bizzaro world part comes in is I view the people running the company as a threat to my health and welfare. I work harder and harder just trying to maintain my families standard of living. A standard of living that we did not have before I got off of the road and signed on with this outfit.A standard of living that I really enjoy and appreciate.A middle class standard living where I can make 70K a year and still make it to my kids baseball games. The company does not want to share the spoils of our success, they want to keep it for themselves. Just think, If they had given us a raise this year they might have avoided all of this.
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I used to watch Superfriends, so I get the whole Bizarro thing, good analogy. We all feel we're working harder just to break even and I agree with you that a raise may have avoided all the craziness we're now dealing with. You've had some crappy jobs like me, ok, then you know what it takes to get by in a crappy work environment without the help of a third party (union) acting as a go-between for you and management. So now you landed what you may consider the best job you ever had, and you made the cut and are now doing well, all without a union, why start now?

We can both agree the company hasn't done well by the drivers over the last few years, but we do not agree when it comes to the reasons behind their actions. As you notice that you're having to work harder to break even, so does the company. We are all feeling the effects of inflation, individuals and companys alike. You talk about the "spoils of our success," are you talking about 20million net profit on an operating revenue of 1.1 billion on Q1? That represents 1.8 percent, which IMO is a pretty thin profit margin. Call me naive, but I'm thinking the company is holding out because there just isn't enough money right now for raises. It's no secret that us and other LTL's have been steadily dropping their rates over the last few years on decreased demand, what is our company or any company to do when that happens? I think when the company feels they can afford raises and 401k matches, that those things will be forthcoming and I'm willing to wait longer.

I know the purchase of Mobilesco and Safestack is a bit hard to stomach when we as drivers seem to have been forgotton. From our perspective, the timing was wrong, but perhaps the company saw it as the right time to make a purchase because they had some negotiating power due to the economic recession. We simply don't know why the company does what it does, which is one reason why I think we shouldn't jump onto the union band wagon. I do not blame the DSRs who want to organize, for feeling frustrated with the whole situation, but what I find disturbing is how easily they can be cowed into thinking that having the Teamsters in the house will somehow fix a problem that is bigger than the us or the company, I'm talking about the ailing U.S. economy.

You may have noticed that I put one of your sentences in red, here is why. I was reminded of a time when I was younger and working other jobs, I used to have the attitude that my labor was always worth more to the company than what they were paying me and this thinking caused me to cop an attitude over time an eventually drove me to quit or get fired. Obviously, I can be hard headed, but one thing I have learned is that the only perfect job is the one you do because you feel in your heart that you were born to do it. I wasn't born to be a truck driver and I doubt many of us were. That being said, I've learned what attitude adjustments I had to make to keep a decent job and rather than getting myself worked up over stagnant raises, I'm choosing to make the best of the current situation with the prospect of things improving after the next election.
 
I think we can all agree if the company doesn't have the money , they can't and shouldn't pay it. The part that makes most people on the bottom upset is the huge amount of money at the top. If the drivers took a loss in benefits and pay , why not have those on top take an even larger cut in benefits and pay? Does upper management need the perks and benefits they still enjoy? According to nobodyinparticular , when drivers asked upper management when their last pay increase was they were told ,"none of your business" It's irritating that drivers who do so much for this company , are looked at as THE problem. If things go well for this company the management is rewarded in outrageous compensation while drivers are told we have a lot to work on - Bizzaro World!

- Not pro or anti union , but I know there is a big problem
 
WOW....Thanks for all your insight and information and to remind us why we SHOULD vote in the union. That statement there was over the top. In fact, it was so good I had to read it twice for all that to soak in. You are exactly the type we have been looking for to further our efforts in this organizing campaign. We, as union supporters, love to see the hornets nest being stirred up. Thanks for the extra ammo you keep sending our way.
 
ltu will proceed as planned,and when drivers figure out they have been bullied all these years by conway they will be mad at themselves,knowing that conway does not override the federall gov.
 
Merdock said:
you're driving a truck, making 70 grand, and attending your kid's ball game. And this isn't good enough for you? How much to shut you up until next June? come on, give me a number... 50 cents?, 75?, ok, ok how about a buck? Do we have a deal?
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I will tell you what it will take to shut me up. In writing "contract" health care costs frozen for the next 3 years,$2.45 an hour raise "because I am a westerner and we make $1.45 less than you easterners so the easterners should get a $1 an hour raise and the southerners should get $3.45 an hour because they make less than us westerners" with a guaranteed raise that keeps pace with inflation every year to follow for the next 3 years, and restoration of all 401k contributions immediately with an extra kicker for all those oldtimers that are or should I say were close to retirement. Also, southerners get OT after 8, no more part-time temps on our docks. How about we start at that, I am open to negotiation, come on driver, lets hagel.
 
radman said:
I will tell you what it will take to shut me up. In writing "contract" health care costs frozen for the next 3 years,$2.45 an hour raise "because I am a westerner and we make $1.45 less than you easterners so the easterners should get a $1 an hour raise and the southerners should get $3.45 an hour because they make less than us westerners" with a guaranteed raise that keeps pace with inflation every year to follow for the next 3 years, and restoration of all 401k contributions immediately with an extra kicker for all those oldtimers that are or should I say were close to retirement. Also, southerners get OT after 8, no more part-time temps on our docks. How about we start at that, I am open to negotiation, come on driver, lets hagel.
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I just saw this on another thread and I had to add this to my "how much to shut me up demands." Vacation time is and average of your pay, not a 40 hr week. If you average 50 hours a week and take a week off, thats what you should get paid. I also want us to have Christmas parties again and I want the company to give up some leather gloves and rain coats.
 
radman said:
I will tell you what it will take to shut me up. In writing "contract" health care costs frozen for the next 3 years,$2.45 an hour raise "because I am a westerner and we make $1.45 less than you easterners so the easterners should get a $1 an hour raise and the southerners should get $3.45 an hour because they make less than us westerners" with a guaranteed raise that keeps pace with inflation every year to follow for the next 3 years, and restoration of all 401k contributions immediately with an extra kicker for all those oldtimers that are or should I say were close to retirement. Also, southerners get OT after 8, no more part-time temps on our docks. How about we start at that, I am open to negotiation, come on driver, lets hagel.
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Why not sell CFI and use the proceeds to fund our pension. After all, we overspent $750,000.00 on CFI just as our leaders enhanced our retirement with the pension's removal and that lame 401K's introduction, knowing that it would also be removed as soon as an opportunity presented itself. I don't have an MBA, but am thinking 3/4 of a billion dollars would sustain the pension fund for a few days.

Then we can do what it is we do best - move LTL freight and make money.

The problem; Our leaders won't be able to justify such large personal compen$ation packages because the Con-Dom they watch over will have become smaller. Managers of bigger corporations make more than managers of smaller corporations. Or am I wrong and their motives are pure, just, and that our leaders feel a real sense of appreciation and obligation. That they care about those that make it all work on a daily basis.
 
plopplopfizzfizz said:
Why not sell CFI and use the proceeds to fund our pension. After all, we overspent $750,000.00 on CFI just as our leaders enhanced our retirement with the pension's removal and that lame 401K's introduction, knowing that it would also be removed as soon as an opportunity presented itself. I don't have an MBA, but am thinking 3/4 of a billion dollars would sustain the pension fund for a few days.

Then we can do what it is we do best - move LTL freight and make money.

The problem; Our leaders won't be able to justify such large personal compen$ation packages because the Con-Dom they watch over will have become smaller. Managers of bigger corporations make more than managers of smaller corporations. Or am I wrong and their motives are pure, just, and that our leaders feel a real sense of appreciation and obligation. That they care about those that make it all work on a daily basis.
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In their eyes, u are cheap labor, and anybody can do your job. Dont think for a minute the TM arent gettin ICP bonuses for every quarter for that SC. This place is about them and not you. Their making so much money off of subservice, their not even using their conway truckload fleet. Stealing fuel surcharge revenue, lying to the customer about safe stack, when their freight is doubled stacked in a dry van. If they lie to our customer, why would they tell a DSR the truth? The anti-union video is a joke. Dont be CON-WASHED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Why not organize CFI and put it all in the mix ?
plopplopfizzfizz said:
Why not sell CFI and use the proceeds to fund our pension. After all, we overspent $750,000.00 on CFI just as our leaders enhanced our retirement with the pension's removal and that lame 401K's introduction, knowing that it would also be removed as soon as an opportunity presented itself. I don't have an MBA, but am thinking 3/4 of a billion dollars would sustain the pension fund for a few days.

Then we can do what it is we do best - move LTL freight and make money.

The problem; Our leaders won't be able to justify such large personal compen$ation packages because the Con-Dom they watch over will have become smaller. Managers of bigger corporations make more than managers of smaller corporations. Or am I wrong and their motives are pure, just, and that our leaders feel a real sense of appreciation and obligation. That they care about those that make it all work on a daily basis.
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" Stealing fuel surcharge revenue, lying to the customer about safe stack, when their freight is doubled stacked in a dry van." I like that line right there. I wonder how much sub service would be used if we started telling customers about this.
 
radman said:
I just saw this on another thread and I had to add this to my "how much to shut me up demands." Vacation time is and average of your pay, not a 40 hr week. If you average 50 hours a week and take a week off, thats what you should get paid. I also want us to have Christmas parties again and I want the company to give up some leather gloves and rain coats.
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man, you're easy...
actually the gloves aren't that far off. This has been a project within the safety department for awhile now. Start a thread and ask what type is preferred by employees, how do you get new pairs, and how often. That's what CGO needs to know. Right now consideration is between the large cuffed leathers, the traditional leather driving type glove and the stretchy-form fitting latex or nitrile type. Stock them in every terminal?, order on-line? e-certificates, would there be more options of sizes readily available if they were ordered from our company store site? Turn in old pair to get new?

raincoats?, these may become available through the safety points and/or company store. Once again, what if there were e-certificates for alternate/accessory uniform items?
 
Merdock said:
man, you're easy...
actually the gloves aren't that far off. This has been a project within the safety department for awhile now. Start a thread and ask what type is preferred by employees, how do you get new pairs, and how often. That's what CGO needs to know. Right now consideration is between the large cuffed leathers, the traditional leather driving type glove and the stretchy-form fitting latex or nitrile type. Stock them in every terminal?, order on-line? e-certificates, would there be more options of sizes readily available if they were ordered from our company store site? Turn in old pair to get new?

raincoats?, these may become available through the safety points and/or company store. Once again, what if there were e-certificates for alternate/accessory uniform items?
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I like you Merdock, you want to work with us,but what about the rest of my demands. The contract guarnteeing our raises,401k,OT after 8 for southerners,no part time-temps on our dock, a more equitable form of vacation pay, setting the costs of our health care for the next several years. Also, last but not least, lets have a nice Christmas Party this year, its been too long and I always enjoyed the Christmas parties.
 
a city driver went into and ask our hr man what was up with the union talk - and he also asked about overtime after 8 hrs - hr man said that there would not be any overtime pay cause conway wasnt setup to pay overtime and that they would just hire more workers - but it seems strange that the southern region of conway is the only one that doesn't get overtime pay after 8 so more lies by mgmt, i will take a contract what about yall.
 
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