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SAIA | We need a union and we need it now!

Dracula said:
Lord, I am going to be so abused. Browse the YRC, UPS, and ABF sections and you will see that the protection of a union contract ain't what it used to be. Big truk posted, and I find him very reasonable, that
...The union and your company would bargain for a contract then you all would have the opportunity to vote for or against the language.Your voices would be heard...
When the rank and file voted in the last election for IBT President,http://www.truckingboards.com/bb/threads/ibt-results.77382/page-2, Big Truk wasn't so sure that everyone's voice was heard. Hoffa won and if Saia was union, we would be stuck, with that piece of :::shit:::, running the show and there are a lot of union guys who hate his guts too.
Thanks, but no thanks, I just don't see any advantage in going union.
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Priceless post.
 
Redracer3136 said:
Had you read the link you provided, you'd know that union favorability percentage isn't actually "on the rise" when more specific questions are asked....

Union favorability may also hinge on how the question is worded, and how specific it is. A question asking someone if they like unions isn’t necessarily the same thing as asking if they want to join one. It’s also a very general question that may not reflect various nuances that could reveal how people actually view unions.

“When you ask more specific questions about unions, you see a more negative trend on how the public views them,” Kovacs said. “So I think when you get more in the weeds with specific questions, union favorability isn’t really as high as maybe just a general question.”

“Perhaps more important, everyone makes better decisions when they have a clear view of history,” Cameron said. “While there may be a slight current uptick in the abstract view of labor unions, their overall approval rating is at historic lows.”

...and you would've also known the answer to your question is a big fat NO!!

“One reason is that unions have been steadily declining since 1955,” North Carolina State University Prof. Walter Wessels told InsideSources. “Many events that could explain this decline have come and gone. The most likely causes are those that have somewhat persisted over that period.”

Wessels points to industry shifts and federal labor protections as two persistent trends. Manufacturing and other traditionally union industries have been on the decline while new industries have grown. The government has also made unions less relevant by providing and mandating many of the benefits they used to fight for.
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Another priceless post. They just go on and on. My young filly is waiting on me. She’s hungry so I must run.
 
bigtruk_us said:
You are misinformed.You guys would have a contract bargained for you and voted on by all of you.Your pay would be negotiated as well as benefits and workrules.even rules for lytx dash cam functions.The only reason YRC pays less is because the prior president of the company(bill Zollars)extended the company into a bad credit situation.His vision was for the company to be the largest ltl and worldwide shipper.Instead of closing the doors the union managed to negotiate a deal to help the company gain financial footing and keep all the guys and gals employed.Basically Zollars spent way too much money and then the economy collapsing didn't help.We are at top pay minus 15%
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Ok, let's say that YRC's problem is because Zollars was a lousy CEO. Zollar's didn't work for the other union companies, who went out of business, what happened to those union teamster companies? Go to the ABF site of Truckingboards and look at the threads about the current contract negotiations. Those guys are not happy and Zollar's has never set foot on the property. They're pissed at the union negotiators and the "deal". So much for the union negotiating benefits and workrules.
You guys would have a contract bargained for you and voted on by all of you.
A forced contract
Discussion in 'ABF Freight System' started by vongrimmenstein, Friday at 8:43 PM.

In the last UPS contract debacle,.....even though UPS rank-and-file voted down the Supplements multiple times,........Mr. Hoffa and Mr. Hall invoked Article XII, Sec. 6 of the IBT constitution,........giving the Executive Board the right to accept any contract....if the GEB feels "it's in the member's best interests"......even though the members had voted against that tentative agreement.

I guess it remains to be seen if Mr. Hoffa will use the amended Constitution to jam this steaming heap down the throats of the rank-and-file......if they vote it down more than once.....

I would hope that the NLRB would be standing by,.....in case someone decides to file charges of Non-Representation, in the event of an unpopular........pile of dung,........being imposed on the members , in spite of an overwhelming majority of "NO" votes.....

They didn't use the amended Constitution during the carhaul contract,........and those Brothers had the courage to vote it down multiple times,........until Hoffa and Co. finally decided who they were ......working for,.......and produced a good carhaul contract.

Ball is in our court. This contract..........stinks.......

It's actually an insult.....and, for some reason,....our Union..."leadership"...has it in their pointy little heads,....that DE-FUNDING a pension, is.."saving"..it......Good Grief!........The schoolyard playground has a better sense of economics than that! Try offering a six-year-old a half-eaten apple in return for his two peanut butter sandwiches,.......and he will punch you in the nose......

C'mon, Ernie! We're just a little smarter than that..........A hard life of physical labor left us looking bedraggled, scruffy and tired,........but our appearances don't mean our mental capabilities are ......disabled....

If you were in the rank-and-file, Ernie,........you'd be leading the "NO" vote faction very loudly.......And you know it.......

Been a long time away from the wheel and loading dock? Rubbing elbows with too many executives who are telling you that you're "smarter" than those unwashed Hoi-Polloi way, way down there on the street....?

Don't forget who you work for..........And don't forget how Labor history will regard Fric(Johnson) and Frac(Sweeton).....

You don't want to be in the same.......dustbin....as those two......

canaryinthemine, Today at 9:19 AM
Like I posted before, I just don't see any advantage in going union.
 
Dracula said:
Ok, let's say that YRC's problem is because Zollars was a lousy CEO. Zollar's didn't work for the other union companies, who went out of business, what happened to those union teamster companies? Go to the ABF site of Truckingboards and look at the threads about the current contract negotiations. Those guys are not happy and Zollar's has never set foot on the property. They're pissed at the union negotiators and the "deal". So much for the union negotiating benefits and workrules.
You guys would have a contract bargained for you and voted on by all of you.
A forced contract
Discussion in 'ABF Freight System' started by vongrimmenstein, Friday at 8:43 PM.

In the last UPS contract debacle,.....even though UPS rank-and-file voted down the Supplements multiple times,........Mr. Hoffa and Mr. Hall invoked Article XII, Sec. 6 of the IBT constitution,........giving the Executive Board the right to accept any contract....if the GEB feels "it's in the member's best interests"......even though the members had voted against that tentative agreement.

I guess it remains to be seen if Mr. Hoffa will use the amended Constitution to jam this steaming heap down the throats of the rank-and-file......if they vote it down more than once.....

I would hope that the NLRB would be standing by,.....in case someone decides to file charges of Non-Representation, in the event of an unpopular........pile of dung,........being imposed on the members , in spite of an overwhelming majority of "NO" votes.....

They didn't use the amended Constitution during the carhaul contract,........and those Brothers had the courage to vote it down multiple times,........until Hoffa and Co. finally decided who they were ......working for,.......and produced a good carhaul contract.

Ball is in our court. This contract..........stinks.......

It's actually an insult.....and, for some reason,....our Union..."leadership"...has it in their pointy little heads,....that DE-FUNDING a pension, is.."saving"..it......Good Grief!........The schoolyard playground has a better sense of economics than that! Try offering a six-year-old a half-eaten apple in return for his two peanut butter sandwiches,.......and he will punch you in the nose......

C'mon, Ernie! We're just a little smarter than that..........A hard life of physical labor left us looking bedraggled, scruffy and tired,........but our appearances don't mean our mental capabilities are ......disabled....

If you were in the rank-and-file, Ernie,........you'd be leading the "NO" vote faction very loudly.......And you know it.......

Been a long time away from the wheel and loading dock? Rubbing elbows with too many executives who are telling you that you're "smarter" than those unwashed Hoi-Polloi way, way down there on the street....?

Don't forget who you work for..........And don't forget how Labor history will regard Fric(Johnson) and Frac(Sweeton).....

You don't want to be in the same.......dustbin....as those two......

canaryinthemine, Today at 9:19 AM
Like I posted before, I just don't see any advantage in going union.
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Observant individual.....
Unions always look for a scapegoat for their destruction of jobs. They find a manager, CEO etc. to heap blame on.
The lack of new members is what is killing teamster pensions. But they have not found a suitable scapegoat on that issue yet. They never will admit no one is buying what they sell
Instead they sit idle and watch every union carrier die off one at a time and look to blame anyone other than themselves...
If these union carriers are not making $$$ hand over fist right now, it is over....
These are the best conditions for this industry in 60 years...
 
I agree that IBT leadership is sinking the ship, but to say that unions will never rise again is going to far. I think union strength is cyclical. We are in a valley right now, but eventually union strength will crest the top of a wave again. Ups will have to get a lot back from it’s drivers before our working conditions and compensation tank. If that happens then a union will rise again. May not be IBT though. Yrc and abf are currently not big enough in terms of market share, corporate strength, or contract strength to mention in that discussion. Admittedly, I am an amateur and often incorrect
 
LTLIndentured said:
I agree that IBT leadership is sinking the ship, but to say that unions will never rise again is going to far. I think union strength is cyclical. We are in a valley right now, but eventually union strength will crest the top of a wave again. Ups will have to get a lot back from it’s drivers before our working conditions and compensation tank. If that happens then a union will rise again. May not be IBT though. Yrc and abf are currently not big enough in terms of market share, corporate strength, or contract strength to mention in that discussion. Admittedly, I am an amateur and often incorrect
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I will agree with the ebb tide cyclical comparison in regards to unions but the Teamsters are dead in the LTL market. Maybe another union but even that is highly unlikely. This industry demands flexibility to remain competitive and a union does not offer that in the LTL market. The competition will eat you alive. The nons have a completely different playing field. The Teamsters can’t compete. The dynamics are too complex. UPSF is the only exception and parcel is their saving grace. What remains is all the Teamsters will ever get. YRC and ABF will have a hard time competing long term and they will be lucky to even survive. This is a cut throat, take no prisoners business where only the strong survive.
 
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I cannot believe this piece of crap thread is still rolling. Don't you guys have anything else to get your teeth into? Get over it. If you aren't enjoying the benefit of the Teamster pension or the health benefits by now let it go. Geez. Everyone complains about the Teamster's Union because you don't really know what it's about. If you quit talking about it and get them in for a vote then things WILL get better. Schedules. Seniority. Everything. Pension. Don't sit here and keep talking about it. That's how things stay the same.
 
nobodysboy said:
I cannot believe this piece of crap thread is still rolling. Don't you guys have anything else to get your teeth into? Get over it. If you aren't enjoying the benefit of the Teamster pension or the health benefits by now let it go. Geez. Everyone complains about the Teamster's Union because you don't really know what it's about. If you quit talking about it and get them in for a vote then things WILL get better. Schedules. Seniority. Everything. Pension. Don't sit here and keep talking about it. That's how things stay the same.
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Not everyone enjoys the perks of the Western conference BOY! And we are talking about today’s Teamsters!!! And we very much know what we are talking about. What you have no longer exists.
 
runawaytrain said:
I will agree with the ebb tide cyclical comparison in regards to unions but the Teamsters are dead in the LTL market. Maybe another union but even that is highly unlikely. This industry demands flexibility to remain competitive and a union does not offer that in the LTL market. The competition will eat you alive. The nons have a completely different playing field. The Teamsters can’t compete. The dynamics are too complex. UPSF is the only exception and parcel is their saving grace. What remains is all the Teamsters will ever get. YRC and ABF will have a hard time competing long term and they will be lucky to even survive. This is a cut throat, take no prisoners business where only the strong survive.
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I agree and disagree. The Old and present union business model is dying yes, however, the union could produce a different product and thrive.
 
Here is the product I would buy:
1) forced higher wages with OT after 8
2) 401k instead of pension contributions
3) no protection of lazy drivers or accident prone drivers [not sure how to accomplish that without putting valuable drivers jobs on the line from vindictive or vengeful leadership]
4) work rules that honor seniority
5) no layoffs; everyone takes an extra day off without pay instead
6) allow the company to change its operations as needed without costing drivers their jobs (offer to transfer if necessary)
7) checks and balances on union leadership to keep corruption (both from company and personal) to a minimum. Most likely placing caps on compensation for union leaders to prevent them from seeking lifetime appointments
This will get it started. If a union offered this then I would vote it in.
 
I understand the argument behind allowing market forces to dictate compensation. I also understand that companies will work together to smother wages if they can ( happening now). The other side of this is that college grads who see themselves as more intelligent than those who aren’t grads will not see a value ($$$) in drivers and will seek lower our market value as they climb the corporate ladder
 
LTLIndentured said:
Forgot to mention healthcare in my Christmas wishlist, but having yrc/abf level health insurance would be lovely
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My healthcare is $12 per week. My wife has her own plan. YRC/ABF does have free healthcare but that’s not a selling point for me. SAIA offers free healthcare after 10 years of service but I will be retired long before then.
 
runawaytrain said:
My healthcare is $12 per week. My wife has her own plan. YRC/ABF does have free healthcare but that’s not a selling point for me. SAIA offers free healthcare after 10 years of service but I will be retired long before then.
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I thought SAIA healthcare covered spouses even if there job had it
 
LTLIndentured said:
Here is the product I would buy:
1) forced higher wages with OT after 8
2) 401k instead of pension contributions
3) no protection of lazy drivers or accident prone drivers [not sure how to accomplish that without putting valuable drivers jobs on the line from vindictive or vengeful leadership]
4) work rules that honor seniority
5) no layoffs; everyone takes an extra day off without pay instead
6) allow the company to change its operations as needed without costing drivers their jobs (offer to transfer if necessary)
7) checks and balances on union leadership to keep corruption (both from company and personal) to a minimum. Most likely placing caps on compensation for union leaders to prevent them from seeking lifetime appointments
This will get it started. If a union offered this then I would vote it in.
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What your asking we already have now. Company can follow workers if they feel time is being stolen they just can use videos or electronics only to do it. If a driver goes to state panels enough on accidents they will eventually can them.
Seniority rights and work rules already in place.
Layoffs will always be by seniority the company offers CC days to prevent but in the end of day seniority shall prevail overall
We have change of operations now if work is moved you follow it ina bid by seniority.
If you vote that is your checks and balance some do some don’t.
Some local officers salaries are based off size of membership all can be appointed but vote keeps you in unless you lose and your opponent appoints you.
 
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