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ABF | Question on sick days

buffalobill said:
I am aware of your job at Holland, your post looked like you had thought about moving somewhere else. Last I knew, Lakeville paid a significant amount into the pension, and had comparable pay and benefits. I'm not sure about Standard, but I know they also pay into it, and figured I would throw it out there.

whats so bad about Lakeville? I've seen their contract, it looks like a good job on paper, and their equipment looks good.
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Standard isnt class 18 pension. I believe they are more like class 16. Lakeville would be to much of a commute. Any move I make will be lateral or an upgrade.
 
oh ok, thanks for the heads up. I'm just throwing suggestions out there, I don't know much about your area, other than you have 2 more regional carriers that are teamsters than we do in western NY. Lakeville seems like a screwball carrier, some barns are union, others aren't, and are employed thru a 3rd party to get around the contract. and I see a couple road drivers, but a lot more OO's pulling their trailers at night. I saw their contract, it has language on ONE guy, who has the right to hold down one road bid, in your general area.
 
LS1GTO said:
Just so that I understand then... my seniority date will be 1/19/15 provided I get thru probation... Since I will have seniority after January 1st, then I will not have any sick days for this calender year 2015, right?

I already know about vacation and starting at 90% and hitting top rate after 1 year...
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LS1GTO...do you, as a new-hire, get a weeks vacation in 2016, or do you have to wait til 2017 to get your first week?
 
canaryinthemine said:
Now wait and find out how badly they've screwed up vacations for new-hires. According to the Labor man, there is no more pro-ration of vacation time,.............EVEN THOUGH the language is still there and not lined out. I had thought that the pro-ration would move to the second year, at least,.........and give new-hires SOME vacation,........but what we're being told is that ABF is in negotiation,........with whom I'm not sure,........to establish a "60%" rule, and allow new-hires vacation after,.....19 months. All this is second-hand information. All I know is that come June 1st,....I'll be grieving for vacation for our new-hires under the tattered remnants of what's left of our vacation language,......barring some sort of MOU......I guess it would be a great help if we had current contract books,......like UPS does,....even though they ratified their contract a COUPLE OF MONTHS after we ratified ours...........Something else we should be getting ready to grieve.........
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Agree, canary! We were MAJORLY sold-out on the vacation thing in this new spiffy contract. I'm still so ticked off about that that i can't see straight!! Restoring vacations to pre-2013 levels should be one of the TOP priorities next go-round.
 
Trucker 206 said:
LS1GTO...do you, as a new-hire, get a weeks vacation in 2016, or do you have to wait til 2017 to get your first week?
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Vacation is based on seniority year so unless they really back doored the new hires he should be eligible for a week come January 19, 2017. And lucky dog that he is he'll be able to take it right away. If his seniority date was umm say June 19 he'd undoubtedly have to way another three months before he could take a trip to Seoul for a little R&R.
Trucker 206 said:
Agree, canary! We were MAJORLY sold-out on the vacation thing in this new spiffy contract. I'm still so ticked off about that that i can't see straight!! Restoring vacations to pre-2013 levels should be one of the TOP priorities next go-round.
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I don't know anyone who plans to be around for the next go-round.
 
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"Agree, canary! We were MAJORLY sold-out on the vacation thing in this new spiffy contract. I'm still so ticked off about that that i can't see straight!! Restoring vacations to pre-2013 levels should be one of the TOP priorities next go-round."

"I don't know anyone who plans to be around for the next go-round."

Well ABFer I plan to still be around I have awhile to go still.
 
LS1GTO said:
I've got at least 25-30 years left in me and I would like to call ABF home so I plan to be around. I hope the vacation policy is revisited at the next go around along with a couple other odds and ends.
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Yes, I'd like to see that happen as well. I was to get my second week this year under the old contract, and what REALLY ticks me off is not only did they take a week from everyone, they didn't bother to 'adjust' the time in which you receive your weeks. Hey, guys...this is really something we need to fix in the next contract. Does anybody know if we could get this changed BEFORE 2018 with a MOU?
 
canaryinthemine said:
You're welcome, Brother. I already have the proverbial egg on my face. I told one of our new-hires,...who started May 5, 2014,....that, for vacation purposes only,.....as per the contract,....his "first year" was the period between May 5 and May 31,...since he didn't even achieve 60 days, there is no pro-ration of his "first year",....and subsequently no vacation time was earned for the period. Now,....as I saw it, since they have moved the vacation schedule back one week, the pro-ration period would move to the second year,....which would've been the period between June 1st, 2014, to May 31st, 2015. Our new-hire has worked pretty much every day,.....so, as I saw it,......even under pro-ration,....by May 31st, 2015, he would've earned pretty much 5 days, or darn close, since he hasn't missed a day, and it doesn't look like he will. Lo and Behold,.........ABF says that the pro-ration language is "no longer valid",.......and that our new-hire wouldn't receive a week's vacation until,............June 1st,....2016! The last meeting we had with ABF's labor man had nothing to do with vacations,....but at the end of the meeting, during the informal chit-chat,....he mentioned that vacations were a problem, and that they were "looking for a solution". Subsequent phone calls by my B.A. determined that there is some sort of negotiations going on ,....to...."fix".... the problem. Good Grief! Here comes another MOU.....
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The possible MOU might not be a bad thing if it restores vacations. Can you tell this issue has me a little flustered?? LOL!!
 
LS1GTO said:
I've got at least 25-30 years left in me and I would like to call ABF home so I plan to be around. I hope the vacation policy is revisited at the next go around along with a couple other odds and ends.
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You have my deepest sympathies. I am soooo glad I'm on my way out you wouldn't believe it...I never thought I'd prefer old age over youth but let me tell you, I do!!! Any time I see a youngster (30 and under) working I feel sooooo bad for them. I see a bleak future for all, including freight drivers. Hablas Espanol? I wish for the best for you and expect a correction in the vacation policy is forthcoming. It has just screwed ABF too much, more than they expected in their wildest nightmares. :guiness:
 
ABFer said:
You have my deepest sympathies. I am soooo glad I'm on my way out you wouldn't believe it...I never thought I'd prefer old age over youth but let me tell you, I do!!! Any time I see a youngster (30 and under) working I feel sooooo bad for them. I see a bleak future for all, including freight drivers. Hablas Espanol? I wish for the best for you and expect a correction in the vacation policy is forthcoming. It has just screwed ABF too much, more than they expected in their wildest nightmares. :guiness:
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Yeah,......what's the old saw about getting too greedy and overreaching,........and then having to live with the consequenses? I'll bet the new Vacation "policy" has already cost ABF some top-flight employees,....both in resignations, and just plain refusals to come here,...........Oh, Gee! We've Saved A Million In Vacation Pay!,....(...yeah, but you lost 5 Million in training , resignations, morale, overtime, and shortages on seniority boards.....)...(...Pennywise and Pound Foolish...)....However, My Esteemed Collegue Brother ABFer,....I'll have to disagree with you about a bleak future.......Wages will NEVER be lower than they are now,.....they don't dare, if they want to stay in business,.......and within about two or three years, drivers will be such a Hot Commodity,.....let me re-phrase that:....Such a SCARCE Hot Commodity,.....that a good driver with a clean CSA 2010 will name his price,...or walk away to the highest bidder,.....which would be any company that wants to have affordable liability insurance..........Hey Freight Company executives!....Keep playing around with pensions, benefits, and wages,.....and you'll "play" yourself into the biggest insurance nightmare you can think of,........And ,..After that,....Bankruptcy. Me and Brother ABFer will be cheering you on from the sidelines,....along with the other 75% of us that are within 5 years of retirement!.............Let the Clown Show Begin!
 
ABFer said:
You have my deepest sympathies. I am soooo glad I'm on my way out you wouldn't believe it...I never thought I'd prefer old age over youth but let me tell you, I do!!! Any time I see a youngster (30 and under) working I feel sooooo bad for them. I see a bleak future for all, including freight drivers. Hablas Espanol? I wish for the best for you and expect a correction in the vacation policy is forthcoming. It has just screwed ABF too much, more than they expected in their wildest nightmares. :guiness:
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Believe me, I envy all of you guys that are getting ready to hang it up on your own terms. I am 40 years old, been working since I was 12 years old. In the 16 years that I have been in trucking, I have seen a lot of changes and agree that the future is bleek. If all of these trucking companies don't start acknowledging the "driver shortage" and continue to ignore the real truth behind it, it will be disasterous for some. They all know that driver compensation, benefits and equipment are the top 3 reasons drivers choose their homes. If those 3 are above average, then you can probably assume that safety, customer service and performance are all good or better. When you drive in junk, make crap $$ and have subpar benefits, then you can also assume all the rest is terrible. These mega OTR companies are really gonna bite the bullit one day if they keep doing what they are doing... Priding themselves on .30 a mile and a $500 gross paycheck... Anywho... I digress... If you want good drivers that do everything right, strive to be the best and actually give a crap, then you gotta compensate them. Bottom line. Rant over, LOL...

I have heard whispers that ABF management knows the vacation policy is not working in their favor... time will tell...
 
LS1GTO said:
Believe me, I envy all of you guys that are getting ready to hang it up on your own terms. I am 40 years old, been working since I was 12 years old. In the 16 years that I have been in trucking, I have seen a lot of changes and agree that the future is bleek. If all of these trucking companies don't start acknowledging the "driver shortage" and continue to ignore the real truth behind it, it will be disasterous for some. They all know that driver compensation, benefits and equipment are the top 3 reasons drivers choose their homes. If those 3 are above average, then you can probably assume that safety, customer service and performance are all good or better. When you drive in junk, make crap $$ and have subpar benefits, then you can also assume all the rest is terrible. These mega OTR companies are really gonna bite the bullit one day if they keep doing what they are doing... Priding themselves on .30 a mile and a $500 gross paycheck... Anywho... I digress... If you want good drivers that do everything right, strive to be the best and actually give a crap, then you gotta compensate them. Bottom line. Rant over, LOL...

I have heard whispers that ABF management knows the vacation policy is not working in their favor... time will tell...
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It seems to me that the OTR companies are just fine with having two non-English speaking personnel driving their filthy run-down junk. The multi-colored stuff we see running down the highways with a chunk of fender missing up around the front near the bumper and headlights dangling by their retina cords or taped firmly into their sockets with duct tape. You know, the ones with the fairings on the back of the cabs badly mangled and distorted. I would really like to take a peek into a busy truck stop for a day. One day, a whole day, breakfast lunch and dinner so I could bring myself up-to-date on the composition of today's OTR make up. Maybe a time lapse photo session of such a place. And I always wonder what the inside of that cab smells like. Not that I really want to experience it but I just want to know. A strange curiosity that I can't explain.
 
Talking of sick days how do you get sick days paid on the road board? Fill out a log with sick day on it? Out of 064 Thanks
 
papejr said:
Talking of sick days how do you get sick days paid on the road board? Fill out a log with sick day on it? Out of 064 Thanks
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Sick days will paid first day of being absent providing your entitled to them.You may have to fill out a pay request form like you do with vacations or personal days. Talk to your line haul supervisor. I punch a clock so I just tell my supervisor to mark it on my card.
 
ABFer said:
It seems to me that the OTR companies are just fine with having two non-English speaking personnel driving their filthy run-down junk. The multi-colored stuff we see running down the highways with a chunk of fender missing up around the front near the bumper and headlights dangling by their retina cords or taped firmly into their sockets with duct tape. You know, the ones with the fairings on the back of the cabs badly mangled and distorted. I would really like to take a peek into a busy truck stop for a day. One day, a whole day, breakfast lunch and dinner so I could bring myself up-to-date on the composition of today's OTR make up. Maybe a time lapse photo session of such a place. And I always wonder what the inside of that cab smells like. Not that I really want to experience it but I just want to know. A strange curiosity that I can't explain.
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Don't waste your valuable time on that... Names are going to be left nameless here, so here goes... The town that my terminal is in is has one of the mega OTR carriers nearby. Two major truck manufacturers have full scale dealerships, repair and body shops in town. This mega carrier has tractors at both dealerships and has warehouse space rented to store all of the banged up trucks that are waiting in line to get fixed. Now, we were all rookies at some point in our lives. Gotta learn to crawl before you can walk. If you are any good, you'll learn how to run. You have to wonder what the initial expense is on a decently equipped OTR tractor, followed by the costly repairs needed to get the truck going again, followed by the cost of insurance. Apparently, the carrier can play ball as long as they continue to pay crap, keep mileage down, and basically screw the drivers. I am talking trucks with significant front end damage, cab damage and senseless damage that some how should have been avoided. God I hope it gets better in trucking soon.

edit - I know this has nothing to do with the topic of sick days... sorry for derailing the thread. Although I did ask my BA about the sick day timing and he agreed that starting after January 1st, I would get none...
 
Mandatory sick days in Philadelphia...It will be interesting to see how this one plays out. It will be interesting to hear if it takes a year to get them or if they start adding up right away. Article says that there are other cities with similar legislation in place.
A REQUIREMENT that Philadelphia employers provide their workers with paid sick leave moved a step closer to becoming law yesterday after a City Council committee approved a bill in support of the mandate.

The bill will get a first reading at Council's meeting tomorrow and is expected to be approved by Council on Feb. 12. It would require all employers with 10 or more workers to provide them with one hour of paid sick leave for every 40 hours worked - up to a maximum of 40 hours or five days a year.
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http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20150204_Paid_sick_leave_bill_passes_major_hurdle.html
 
ABFer said:
Vacation is based on seniority year so unless they really back doored the new hires he should be eligible for a week come January 19, 2017. And lucky dog that he is he'll be able to take it right away. If his seniority date was umm say June 19 he'd undoubtedly have to way another three months before he could take a trip to Seoul for a little R&R.

I don't know anyone who plans to be around for the next go-round.
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Starting evening courses in May for a career change. Told wife this is my last year here after being here nearly seven. Love driving, but the company took my motivation away when they screwed with my family time. Add the pension issue for us younger guys, and the writing was on the wall.
 
disgruntled teamster said:
Starting evening courses in May for a career change. Told wife this is my last year here after being here nearly seven. Love driving, but the company took my motivation away when they screwed with my family time. Add the pension issue for us younger guys, and the writing was on the wall.
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Can't say I blame you. This industry is not what it used to be and I think it is going to tighten and become more rediculous. I understand the need for safety and compliance but there has to be a better way to achieve those without driving prospective new drivers and current seasoned vets away from the industry. This coupled with poor practices at trucking companies really doesn't paint this job in the prettiest of pictures. It is enough to turn people away. I have another skill to fall on being ASE certified but guess what? It is hard to find a good paying job with good benefits in that industry also. And we all know how expensive car repairs can be... I stick to side jobs in my own driveway this way I can pick and choose what I want to do. I hope this industry changes soon
 
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