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ABF | Uniforms

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vongrimmenstein

I stand for our flag, & kneel for the fallen
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Here is what I posted on the company Round Table. I look forward to their response.

Safety is a very important factor with any corporation. Will the ABF Uniforms incorporate any type of reflective material? Reflective vests are mandatory when you set foot in the South Chicago Terminal. I believe the cost of incorporating reflective material in the uniform will help prevent injuries or death. If the answer is no, will ABF supply reflective vests to their employees if requested? Thank you.
 
You should have already received a reflective vest. They passed them out to everyone without us even asking. This happened around the first of the year.
 
I think we'd all look spiffy in an all silver jump suit with a large reflective ABF logo on the back. Don't forget the silver boots. Seriously , Brother Von has a good question. I wear my own reflective vest when doing U-Packs.
 
duke said:
You should have already received a reflective vest. They passed them out to everyone without us even asking. This happened around the first of the year.
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I guess our terminal is not on the list to receive new vests. We probably have to wait to get the worn out ones, just like all the other equipment we get.
 
canaryinthemine said:
I guess our terminal is not on the list to receive new vests. We probably have to wait to get the worn out ones, just like all the other equipment we get.
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Are you going to try and tell me that you didn't find yourself wearing one (or two) a stop or two after that stop that provides them for you to wear while in their warehouse???
 
ABFer said:
Are you going to try and tell me that you didn't find yourself wearing one (or two) a stop or two after that stop that provides them for you to wear while in their warehouse???
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I do not wear used clothing. That goes for hard hats, too. I make that very clear at food warehouses and steel and glass plants, where they insist that the truck driver wear their version of "safety" gear,....when in reality, they're dressing you in off-cast, wadded- up filthy clothing and unwashed hard hats. I inform them that I have my own reflective vest,......a washed one, that says "Organize With Us. Teamsters Local #30" on the back. Made in America, by Union workers.....very stylish. Also, my own hard hat,....with appropriate Union emblems,.....cleaned and polished. I'll be damned if these places are going to try and make me look like a foolish bum, dressed in bum's clothing. It's especially galling when the very people working,......and "supervising"....in these facilities don't bother to wear "safety" gear,....but insist that the driver dress up like Bozo, The Broke Clown. I will proudly represent myself and my Union affiliation,......Sartorially clean, neat, and professional-looking............(....no smart remarks about how the "wrapper" belies the content of the "package".....).......
 
canaryinthemine said:
.(....no smart remarks about how the "wrapper" belies the content of the "package".....)
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Na, now that would be a low blow. And you are right about how filthy some of those garments are that they expect us to wear while at their warehouses.
 
ABFer said:
Na, now that would be a low blow. And you are right about how filthy some of those garments are that they expect us to wear while at their warehouses.
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I explain my health concerns to them,....specifically, the bedbug explosion on the East Coast. When you see some of these long-haul drivers,....living for weeks on end in a sleeper bunk,.......and it's obvious they aren't,...or can't,....take care of their own hygiene,....and are certainly not concerned with how they look,....or smell,....and will put on that sweat-soaked, grease-stained "safety" vest that the receiver pulled out from a cubbyhole on the floor of his office,.....Well,....at that point, most receivers don't even want to handle the "safety" gear they're giving out, and are only too happy for me to provide my own.........Even if it does say "Organize With Us Teamsters" on the back.........
 
Brother Von makes a good point about including some sort of reflective material in any uniform,....voluntary or mandatory,....that an employer makes us wear. However,..........reflective wear does not, in itself, make us "safer". Common sense does that. Hiring people with common sense is far, far safer than a ton of reflective gear. Training existing employees to have common sense is expensive and time-consuming,.......Companies would rather clothe you in head-to-toe in reflective wear to a ridiculous point,.....and then wash their hands of the training, proper hiring, and liability. I wouldn't mind a reflective strip, or two,........but when it gets to the point where you look like you're going to perform at the Mummer's Parade in reflective drag,.......that's just the company satisfying the insurance company the cheapest way they know,......nothing about safety,....all about liability.....After 40 years in the trucking industry, I am concerned with the appearance I, and my fellow peers in trucking put out to the public,......and to our employers. If you want to be taken seriously,......dress seriously. You want to see a Clown Show?......go to a truck stop,....and count the guys,...and girls,....wearing beach attire,.....dirty, torn T-shirts,.....flip-flops,......baggy shorts that expose the human Grand Canyon when they bend over,.......and try to consider them as working a "career"......or just marking time until they get a "real" job.......
 
O.k here's what's going on......W. Pa. terminals were told.....out of the blue...that we were going to be fitted for uniforms this week. And we asked: What about the provisions of Art. 12?...specifically using Union vendors? One of our stewards asked the Cintas rep for their Union card....he did not have one, and shortly left the property. According to my B.A. there was a "brief" discussion with a "top IBT official" who gave ABF permission to implement this program WITHOUT following any of Art. 12's provisions. So......as this is a non-operational expense that impacts on the bonus language, we now know where our stolen vacation and wage money went........And,....why we missed getting a bonus by two-tenths of a percent. They're on a Spending Spree.......with our money! Uniform program in this area on hold,.....at least until they vet a Union vendor. Nothing like adding insult to injury......
 
As far as uniforms go,......I'd still like to know who is giving ABF permission to change the terms of my employment in the MIDDLE of a contract,..........I am not disciplined for wearing civilian clothes now,.......Will the company attempt to discipline me in the future because ABF has imperiously made a decision that we all must look the same? What do you think, Mr. IBT spy? Does the company have the right to change conditions of employment on existing employees? Does allowing this set a dangerous precedent, in that the company will feel they can change whatever they wish,...........and discipline for the new change? I thought that's what differentiated Union carriers from the non-Union scabbo outfits..........
 
canaryinthemine said:
As far as uniforms go,......I'd still like to know who is giving ABF permission to change the terms of my employment in the MIDDLE of a contract,..........I am not disciplined for wearing civilian clothes now,.......Will the company attempt to discipline me in the future because ABF has imperiously made a decision that we all must look the same? What do you think, Mr. IBT spy? Does the company have the right to change conditions of employment on existing employees? Does allowing this set a dangerous precedent, in that the company will feel they can change whatever they wish,...........and discipline for the new change? I thought that's what differentiated Union carriers from the non-Union scabbo outfits..........
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The difference between ABF drivers and us scabbo non union drivers.....is that we look like professionals, and most of you super special way cooler than the rest of us Union drivers look homeless.

If I had a vote I think you guys should stay with the dirty jeans and t shirt look. That way us scabby non Union guys don't get mistaken for you.

On a serious note. One of the reasons most of us would not ever work for a union company is because of guys like you Mr Canary.
 
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