Wow.....talking about this can go on forever. I can only give a small portion of my opinion.
I was die hard anti union once but understanding the security of the contract totally changed that. It took away the ability for the company to man handle you at will with no recourse from you.
I remember when I was with Conway and didn't pay for insurance. Suddenly everyone had to contribute something for insurance, it was a bitter pill to swallow but understandable knowing that good things like this would not last especially without a contract. Every year something went up at Conway to offset our raises.
When Overnite became Teamsters, getting on the NMFA contract was one of the first things that would
not be agreed upon. Those guys don't pay for insurance.
It's very few and far between nowadays with any trucking company to see free insurance. As far as being a retiree and paying for benefits, I know those guys/gals have been bargained for in sustaining some kind of savings rather than increases. You would have to get someone who is retired to chime in. I would think it would be close to the same on either side of the fence. It might even be less.
We consider ourselves the newer teamsters, and if all of Conway becomes Union you guys will most likely be like us too. I seriously doubt Conway will
ever give you free insurance when it comes time to bargain. We have to pay a portion of our insurance just like everyone else does now. Our health care is managed by Teamcare which is run by Central State Health and Welfare. It is
totally separate from the Central States Pension Fund everyone is so scared about. Remember UPS bought out of Central States Pension Fund and I'm pretty sure Conway will never jump into it.
Without a true comparison, our
TeamCare insurance is quite possibly cheaper than the rest of the trucking world minus the guys that pay nothing . We have great coverage, I pay 150.00 a month for my wife and I. Deductables are low and if you use the secondary benefit part of the insurance you can get free things like free MRI, CAT scans, X-rays, Blood work etc. etc. etc. Too much to list.
It's kept low because of contract negotiations every 4 years. Conway can raise your insurance every year, they are great and money manipulation and giving you the illusion they want.
Don't get me wrong. Conway was great to me, they help start my career. They just got out of hand with the many many direction(s) they wanted to take the company and a lot of forensic benefit tweaks. You learn that as you get older and wiser and now the uprising you guys are experiencing is the boil over from all that. Damage control is in full tilt. Black Helicopters are deployed, policy violations write ups from slackers and known pro union people(which will never be revealed) will be at an all time high.
Just consider all the good you guys get now and can negotiate later staying good between contracts and not having the rug pulled from under you all the time without any recourse like it has been for you guys. You will hear a lot of good and a lot of bad choosing either side. In the end, I am glad I became a Teamster. I'm not a slacker by any means, I get the job done just like I did when I was at Conway. I have great customers, most the same. My dues are all tax deductable, but the great thing about being a truck driver now is that my life is that much more comfortable knowing we have a contract.
Which ever you guys go, stay educated on both sides of the argument before you choose a side. Don't go by hearsay.
I know I have missed a bunch more stuff but that's just a little bit of my 2 cents.