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

New equipment is nice but if they don't take care of it doesn't stay nice. We could write stuff up and it never would get fixed. If a driver put a truck out of service the terminal would put it back in service for the city driver to use it. That was another complaint. Nothing getting fixed. Some newer trucks seemed like 10 years old from lack of maintenance and being taken care of
 
Dracula said:
It's Sunday, it's quiet and peaceful, and in just over 24 hours, I'll start a new week. I am not going to waste any more time on this so here is my 2 cents worth and then I'm done. I've been with Saia Linehaul almost 20 years. Maybe I've been incredibly lucky, but at no time have I ever felt abused or that we need a union. From time to time, I read the YRC and UPS forums and what do I read. The union not backing up the agreements, usually concerning contractors pulling loads while union drivers stay home, drivers bitching about the bad equipment, the unfunded pension issue, and the list goes on and on, which makes me wonder, why this system is suppose to be better, at protecting workers. Someone posted, "strength through numbers" and yet the workers, at the big union LTLs, seem to have the same problems that they say workers at non union LTLs have.

I don't know what problems exist elsewhere, but, in my little bit of the Saia world, everything seems to be ok and that is all I have to go on. I vote no to a Saia union.
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I spend more time on the union forums than I do here. It reminds me how well I have it here. Not that I could ever forget. This is the best job I've ever had as a driver. I consider it a privilege to work here.
 
runawaytrain said:
I can't admit to something I have no knowledge of. Our TM is black ... Many of our managers are black. The white managers show nothing but respect to everyone. I will not accept the fact that racism goes on here. If I thought it did I would quit. I won't be part of any corporation that looks the other way when it comes to this issue.
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Better retire now, the only time they care is when it might cost them money, not just SAIA all of them.
 
runawaytrain said:
I spend more time on the union forums than I do here. It reminds me how well I have it here. Not that I could ever forget. This is the best job I've ever had as a driver. I consider it a privilege to work here.
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Just to be clear. I just read and never post. It really helps me keep perspective as to how lucky I am to work for SAIA.
 
suicidejockey said:
This has been quite the show hasn't it lol
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:popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn:INDEED !!!
How true. I don't even work for Saia. I was just surfing the board and stumbled onto your site and got sucked into the raging union vss non-union battle that was being played out. It was really intense, riveting, hard hitting and entertaining.

Are you guys for real that were involved in this debate, or are you guys really just actors reading from scripts? Either way nice performance by all.
 
I said that I was one and done, but I am waiting for the pizza, so here is my other 2 cents worth. Moneyman01 has raised a very good point about equipment abuse. You write up a tractor, the terminal needs a tractor, and the terminal would put it back into service. I've seen it happen more than once, especially at the big terminal, that we take our equipment too for service and inspection. Like Moneyman posted, it's not all rosy but the frustration level is not near high enough to willingly give $50 or $60 a month for what seems to be the same grass on the other side of the fence. Pizza's here.
 
runawaytrain said:
I'm uncomfortable even discussing the issue. I'd like to think that it doesn't happen here at SAIA anywhere. And if it does it is dealt with by immediate termination. It is simply not acceptable. I just can't see SAIA looking the other way. I refuse to accept that. Now please drop it Buck.
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Get out of the south and come up here to the Midwest areas and you'll see that its night and day. Being a system driver really opened up my eyes to a lot about this company when I went to the different regions. And don't even get me started on what an absolute dumpster fire the daytime city operations are up here.

Our TM is worthless and never here, never answers his phone, and will tell you whatever you want to hear just to get you to go away.

This company is far from perfect, but as of right now I have a good run that pays well, so I just do my job and go home. I don't think the union would fix this place either, but I'm not blind to the problems we have.
 
I didnt go to a union company just to be union. I went there because of the pay, benefits and the schedule. Plus steady work.
 
Also remember it's your license when you get stopped with a truck that got put out of service and they didn't fix it. Or if get into a wreck with a truck that didn't get fixed
 
Moneyman01 said:
Also remember it's your license when you get stopped with a truck that got put out of service and they didn't fix it. Or if get into a wreck with a truck that didn't get fixed
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Precisely right. If a truck is unsafe and they try to get you to use it...its violating FMCSA guidelines. Saia wants no part of that grief. So, document and get witnesses. Protect your license and your future. Saia is just renting you for now anyway.
 
Moneyman01 said:
Also remember it's your license when you get stopped with a truck that got put out of service and they didn't fix it. Or if get into a wreck with a truck that didn't get fixed
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If you get caught with a problem, that you should have caught with a reasonable pretrip, that's on you. No one can make you use a tractor or trailer, if you find a problem with it. Just a few days ago, I had a late departure because I had to pretrip 3 different tractors, in order to find one that would pass pretrip 101. I sent a text to my TM outlining the problems and had other drivers verify the problems. That's on the city drivers and the terminal supervisor. If you get stopped and they find something more exotic, that a reasonable pretrip would not have caught, that is just one of those things. But, if you check the past history, of that tractor or trailer, and that same problem had been reported and no documentation exists that the repair was made, then HR, Safety, me, the mechanic shop, and whoever put that truck back into service are going to get together, with the end result that, someone is going to have a lot of explaining to do.
 
What I'm saying is if a truck gets put out of service then the terminal puts it back in service because they need a tractor that's wrong. It's a drivers license that's at stake. I agree you shouldn't drive a truck that's unsafe. If my tractor was out of service I took a different one. But the reason alot of trucks don't get fixed was because the terminal let the city drivers use them. The biggest issue was tires. They wouldn't replace tires
 
I understand your situation and it's a tough one to buck the local managers. If the terminal puts a tractor back into service, and a city guy uses it, that's on the city guy and his license, and God forbid, if something happens, it's also on the locals for putting it back into service. All you can do is protect your license and go find another tractor. If the locals insist on you using what you think is an unsafe tractor, call Central and talk to Abadie or another manager. Just be right and be able to document anything that you report.
 
I don't know what's so hard or so dramatic about this. I do a pre trip if the equipment don't pass I do not operate it period!! If the tm or anyone else tells me to I tell them to call safety right then get them on a three way call and see what they say . I haven't had to do this in a long time but it works every time . The tm just gets pissed and rents a truck or finds me something else or fixes mine . We are very blessed at my terminal we have a tire vendor that comes by every weekend and checks every tire on the yard and replaces them if needed
 
suicidejockey said:
I don't know what's so hard or so dramatic about this. I do a pre trip if the equipment don't pass I do not operate it period!! If the tm or anyone else tells me to I tell them to call safety right then get them on a three way call and see what they say . I haven't had to do this in a long time but it works every time . The tm just gets pissed and rents a truck or finds me something else or fixes mine . We are very blessed at my terminal we have a tire vendor that comes by every weekend and checks every tire on the yard and replaces them if needed
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Exactly, if it's unsafe and they try to force you to drive it. Call safety!!! Not very likely you would be fired for insubordination because you refuse to drive an unsafe truck.
 
Before I left the maintenance Manager for are region wouldn't let a tire company come in and replace tires. Instead they wanted us to do tractor swaps and send the trucks to Chicago to get new tires. A few times I refused to drive a truck because it had a bad tire or the tires were basically bald. But I would place my truck out of service then I get a message or a call later told I can't take it that night because it didn't get fixed because they put it back in service for the city driver. That would make me mad because I couldn't take my tractor because city refused to drive anything else or they won't go rent a truck for city to get it fixed.
 
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