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Yellow | Theres no lock on the gate 'ya know......

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While pizzing and moaning about the general lack of work to a co worker, he made the statement to me that "theres no lock on the gate 'ya know. If you don't like the way things are here, you can always quit"


This got me to thinking. In a lot of ways, he's right. I mean, that's how I got HERE in the first place. If it's not working out, maybe it's time to head down the road.

On the other hand, one of the things that I had hoped for in a union shop was more of an input in how things go. There are work rules and a contract with supplements and all that, but it seems sometimes that they are written on toilet paper, and used accordingly by management. There is always some low level grumbling about who is doing someone elses work, violations of lanes, foreign drivers, yada yada yada.....


So the question is, how much do you just accept and how much do you expect your union to fight for? Examples of situations where your local was, and was not, able to make things better for you and your Brothers and Sisters. Is the contract worth the paper it was printed on in your part of the world?

I haven't been here that long, and I am pretty sure (by what I hear) that a bunch of folks could benefit from YOUR experience.
 
I have no idea about the road, but in the city at Indy-- as long as you show up and try they never bother anyone. Rules? What rules??????? Just "Git-r-done!"
 
yo tp.....

it takes a while to get 'it'........

to me getting 'it' is being able to figure 'it' out without using any outside opinions or suspect information (there are people whose mission in life is to terrorize you when you're vulnerable and puzzled).......

some people pick up quickly.......

some people pick up after a while.....

some people are clueless the day they resign, get fired or quit.....

this job aint too awful much different than life in general, if you got a decent handle on life then, this job aint gonna do much collateral damage to you and if you're looking for cholesterol damage 'louie's' or 'teds' will fix you right up........

mikeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

ps; look around you in the BUF dungeon sometimes when you're waiting for a load and evaluate the quality of the overall gene pool and see where you stand in it and if you're feeling good throw a 5 dollar bill in the money changer and see if you get 20 quarters back......feeling lucky are ya??????
 
I can feel what you are saying in your post. I too joined the union for the same hopes as you and left a career with an education with it. The hope was the union would fight the good fight and be a bridge for the people. At times, it seems people think: solidarity starts with me and what I cannot get or want the rest can have....! Live by the law then die by the law. What is the law? In closing, I hope you find your needs met and your questions answered too, in time....
 
Bird-Dog said:
I can feel what you are saying in your post. I too joined the union for the same hopes as you and left a career with an education with it. The hope was the union would fight the good fight and be a bridge for the people. At times, it seems people think: solidarity starts with me and what I cannot get or want the rest can have....! Live by the law then die by the law. What is the law? In closing, I hope you find your needs met and your questions answered too, in time....
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Question then B-D: Was it worth it? I know this a rhetorical question, but your post stirred something in me. So, was it worth it?

Often I've asked myself that question.

When I joined the union, union jobs were FAR better than the average ones down the street. I should know-- I was in business for myself, or a manager or a driver in non-union ones for 17 years before I joined the Teamsters in 1987. Ultimately, I'm glad I did. But things aren't nearly as far advanced from the others pay scale anymore. They've had to adjust to keep their workers happy so they don't vote union themselves. What was a sometimes $8-$10 dollar @ hour advantage to us as union memebers is now normally about $2-$3 before counting benefits. In most cases, if you're a good worker, non-union jobs offer better working changes due to advancement vs seniority. If you're a bad worker, certainly you need union protection from the at times moronic rules.

From time to time, I've taken outside jobs to make extra $$$$. And I look at the stupid things they have rules for, and the small pay these part-time jobs pay, and wonder how anyone could do this for a living?????????????

I read the posts of the guys hanging on in terminals where they've obviously overhired, and think I'd be long long gone before now.......this hasn't been my experience at all. In 1987 I parked my truck, applied at Preston, was hired the next day. Preston eventually closed-- Yellow hired me full time within 5 hours. I was already working a parttime job when Yellow laid me off after 9/11-- Yellow called me back 6 weeks later and I've never missed a beat in years.


But, reading your post, you seem to question why you walked away from a job with an education. Was it worth it? May God Bless you-- I hope you find your answer!:bgroovy:

Feel free to ignore my rambling carrying on; just something said "answer this?":duh:
 
I keep saying I've had enough with fighting the company AND the local. I keep saying that I'm just going to work, doing my job and leave everybody else to fend for themselves. Then I think about my Father and my Grandfather who, at great personal cost, made this job better by carrying on the union standards created by Jimmy Sr. If you can go to sleep at the end of the day, or night, knowing that you did the best job you could for the company without being $cabby then you "get it" like Mikeeeee says.
 
I've been around trucking for 52 years now. A driver for 34. In the Teamsters for 20. What's "It?" I guess I'll never get it then.

I support the union and all that. But if "getting it" means wearing a Teamster Jacket around like a high school first-year varsity-club member, I guess I never will........it's a job, not a glee club.

Show up; do your job as well as you can so you have one to go to the next day, next week, next year. That's all they can ask. Do it with a smile, and both sides will think you're a hero. Of course, it helps if you're crazy....................:smilie_132: :bgroovy: :biglaugh:
 
The answer for me is simple. I do it part because I watched my parts work very hard and loyal for places that played them. Profit over people. Both been at each place for over 30 years! Also, the last place I was at never gave me my last check and still never recieved my 401k either! I found out what an At Will employee is and how it was created too. Overall, our members need to be active and get ALL the information to the contract too. What man would live and then die for a lie? In closing, I may one day go to another field and out of the union,but I will never just sit on the sidelines!!!
 
You now it well good buddy. Republican or Democrate? Union or non-union? If only it were that easy,huh. The real answer is SPECIAL INTERESTS!
 
I THOUGH WE WERE HAVING A COO INTHE 3RD QUARTER,HAVEN'T SEEN ANYTHING THAT LOOK OR SOUND LIKE A CHANGE OF OPERATIONS, SO CAN ANYBODY TELL ME WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON AT YELLOW FREIGHT? I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW, THE HARDEST WORKING MAN AT YELLOW FREIGHT.
 
yo dirty....

be careful what you wish for....

on a more personal note. if you're whining this loud about not having a change are you going to increase your font size when you get the bad news about a change??????

mikeeeeeeeee
 
dirty699 said:
I THOUGH WE WERE HAVING A COO INTHE 3RD QUARTER,HAVEN'T SEEN ANYTHING THAT LOOK OR SOUND LIKE A CHANGE OF OPERATIONS, SO CAN ANYBODY TELL ME WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON AT YELLOW FREIGHT? I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW, THE HARDEST WORKING MAN AT YELLOW FREIGHT.
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Dude....the 3Q is only a week old now.....be carefull what you wish for to come.....KK
 
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