oldyellow said:Looks like the bottom fell out in Columbus, the bottom of the board not working again.
The freights still moving, its just that foreign drivers come thru and take freight that our drivers would normally pull. One of the yard guys told me last week that in his 8 hour shift 46 foreign drivers either passed thru Columbus or came out of bed. And unlike LCP and other terminals, (which send you home with empties), Columbus gives them our loads to pull home. Which not only strands our bid drivers, but also the extra board!!!oldyellow said:Looks like the bottom fell out in Columbus, the bottom of the board not working again.
I wonder if you'll continue to blame the senior men for all of the worlds woes once you become one?
stldude44,stldude44 said:Profjt,
We covered the resetting thing awhile back.....did you take my advice and file for the run they took if they reset?
Taking bids and then retiring....don't you guys have a bid replacement option? In STL, if a guy is retiring, going to be off for medical reasons or taking more than 3 weeks vacation, his bid is put up fot the Extra Board to bid on and run until he returns or the 6 month bid expires.
I agree that guys should retire and not hang on forever, but there's nothing illegal about them hanging on. My opinion is that after putting in all of the years to earn retirement, if they can afford to go, choosing to stay shows me that they haven't balanced their lives very well, in my opinion only. It's sad to think that a guy works all of his life and then when he should retire and enjoy the so-called golden years, he feels that his best option is to keep working.
As far as the Contract goes, junior men also get to vote.
I knew when I was hired that I wouldn't start at the top of the seniority list and knew that I'd have to wait to be able to work all the time. That's the way it was and I accepted it.
I wonder if you'll continue to blame the senior men for all of the worlds woes once you become one?
KR,kingralph2 said:I never blamed "all the worlds woes" on senior guys. Must have some old folks feeling guilty.
profjt said:stldude44,
Thanks for the sensible response. I don't have a problem with hardly anything you stated.
I was surprised by it in fact. I expected some really ugly responses.
However, this isn't my first rodeo either.
I've been driving for over 25 years. Both Union and non union. I'm also one of those that got hammered at CF.
And I know that the junior members get a vote. However, you must admit that there are many more Senior members. There is a Post on another topic here, that stated a truism... That when the vote came down for the 75% to 100% pay scale...even though some Senior members voted "NO" many others voted "Yes" probably figuring that it wouldn't affect them...Again flouting or flexing their Seniority.
Several of the other points I stated where for graphic examples of the misuse of Seniority. Contrary to what its supposed to mean. And to demonstrate that many Senior drivers (NOT ALL!!!) have lost the meaning of "Brotherhood".
profjt said:Kingralph2,
I do agree with you that a lot of it the National and Local Union leaders are to blame!
And yes, there are "Foreign Courtesy" rules in the NMFRA Contract. HOWEVER, some of it is also the "Senior Drivers Fault!!!" And from other posts on this site I know that isn't a popular view!!! But, lets place the blame where it belongs!!! When Senior Drivers do things such as: resetting their hours, Take bids Knowing that they will be retiring 1 or 2 weeks into the bids, Continue drawing full paychecks, Social Security, and Teamster retirement Benefits!!! Just to name a few. I know this is going to step on toes. But, most in this country are worried about being PC, and not taking or placing the blame where it belongs!!! And yes, I know its not all Senior drivers. But, it seems to be becoming more of the norm anymore.... With both Social Security and Pension funds in danger, SOMEONE, needs to wake up and change the rules and laws. NO ONE, should be allowed to receive ANY Social Security or Retirement Benefits UNTIL, they are fully Retired!! In the Government this is called double dipping! And everyone gets ticked and all blown out of shape over it when it happens there! And all of these rules or laws and Contracts became allowable because SENIOR Union Members either voted for them or just didn't give a crap and allowed them to take place out of laziness. Junior drivers do need to earn some of the benefits with time. I'm just tired of hearing about the "Old Timers" complaining about how hard they had it!!!
They created this mess not the Junior Drivers!
When most older guys talk about how it used to be they're probably referring to how this job used to be fun because of the comeraderie among the workforce.....when you couldn't go 10 miles without another freighthauler calling you on the radio and everybody waved at each other and stopped at the same places to eat and visit. The days when 95% of us were all pulling for the same thing....that thing was the betterment of the collective group and seldom was there a thought about individualism. Somewhere along the way in the 90's the real oldtimers were retiring and retiring with them was the cohesiveness that made the time spent at work alot better than what we see today. For several years now we've seen a different type of driver come along. Not all, of course, but many who didn't want to blend in and get to know the others or learn the true ways of being a good Union man.....no.....these guys were out for one thing only and that was themselves. Alot didn't carry a radio so that they didn't have to run with the others. Alot saw the good work rules as holding them back....after all, why stop and eat like normal human beings when they thought they could sack a senior man and get home faster and get out again ahead of senior men.Bird-Dog said:Very well said there in your post. I too am tired of hearing about the way "it used to be" myself. That seems to be a power play more then anything. The younger guys cannot rewrite history and the older guys will always that to hold over their heads. Not for the good of the union, but for the good of special intersts. WOW, we have now come full circle. The union is dying.
stldude44 said:When most older guys talk about how it used to be they're probably referring to how this job used to be fun because of the comeraderie among the workforce.....when you couldn't go 10 miles without another freighthauler calling you on the radio and everybody waved at each other and stopped at the same places to eat and visit. The days when 95% of us were all pulling for the same thing....that thing was the betterment of the collective group and seldom was there a thought about individualism. Somewhere along the way in the 90's the real oldtimers were retiring and retiring with them was the cohesiveness that made the time spent at work alot better than what we see today. For several years now we've seen a different type of driver come along. Not all, of course, but many who didn't want to blend in and get to know the others or learn the true ways of being a good Union man.....no.....these guys were out for one thing only and that was themselves. Alot didn't carry a radio so that they didn't have to run with the others. Alot saw the good work rules as holding them back....after all, why stop and eat like normal human beings when they thought they could sack a senior man and get home faster and get out again ahead of senior men.
These guys wanted the benefits and pay of a Union freighthauler but wanted to run like chickenhaulers at the same time. These jobs were not meant to be high paid chickenhauler-in-a-daycab jobs. It was the oldtimers who fought and sacrificed and even went on strike to create these jobs....good jobs where guys could make good money and still have a life away from work.....a balance which provided for the best of both worlds, so to speak. And, to be honest, there were always a handfull of oldtimers who weren't good Union men too, and they were pretty much shunned by the 95% who didn't subscribe to the "ME" agenda.
Power play? I'm not sure what you mean by that. Maybe you can explain it.
Rewrite history? I'm sure we'd all like to see your version of doing that. Keep in mind that back in the 90's when the true oldtimers were retiring, the Companies were just sitting and waiting for them to go so they could try to break down the good work rules and conditions that the oldtimers demanded. History has been rewritten, to a certain degree, and it hasn't been all that positive for us as a group.
Finally, I'll say again that when I was new here I didn't expect to work every day on the bottom of the board. I was happy to know that soon I'd be able to make a very good living and not have to spend my life in a truck. I was patient and the steady work came just like it will for you. I had no interst in rewriting history and was glad that the oldtimers had already written a bestseller.
Very well said stl!!!!!!! i just hope they see it before it's to late. i know just 10 years ago it was a lot more fun. just need 2 .6 more years and the young one's can have it!stldude44 said:When most older guys talk about how it used to be they're probably referring to how this job used to be fun because of the comeraderie among the workforce.....when you couldn't go 10 miles without another freighthauler calling you on the radio and everybody waved at each other and stopped at the same places to eat and visit. The days when 95% of us were all pulling for the same thing....that thing was the betterment of the collective group and seldom was there a thought about individualism. Somewhere along the way in the 90's the real oldtimers were retiring and retiring with them was the cohesiveness that made the time spent at work alot better than what we see today. For several years now we've seen a different type of driver come along. Not all, of course, but many who didn't want to blend in and get to know the others or learn the true ways of being a good Union man.....no.....these guys were out for one thing only and that was themselves. Alot didn't carry a radio so that they didn't have to run with the others. Alot saw the good work rules as holding them back....after all, why stop and eat like normal human beings when they thought they could sack a senior man and get home faster and get out again ahead of senior men.
These guys wanted the benefits and pay of a Union freighthauler but wanted to run like chickenhaulers at the same time. These jobs were not meant to be high paid chickenhauler-in-a-daycab jobs. It was the oldtimers who fought and sacrificed and even went on strike to create these jobs....good jobs where guys could make good money and still have a life away from work.....a balance which provided for the best of both worlds, so to speak. And, to be honest, there were always a handfull of oldtimers who weren't good Union men too, and they were pretty much shunned by the 95% who didn't subscribe to the "ME" agenda.
Power play? I'm not sure what you mean by that. Maybe you can explain it.
Rewrite history? I'm sure we'd all like to see your version of doing that. Keep in mind that back in the 90's when the true oldtimers were retiring, the Companies were just sitting and waiting for them to go so they could try to break down the good work rules and conditions that the oldtimers demanded. History has been rewritten, to a certain degree, and it hasn't been all that positive for us as a group.
Finally, I'll say again that when I was new here I didn't expect to work every day on the bottom of the board. I was happy to know that soon I'd be able to make a very good living and not have to spend my life in a truck. I was patient and the steady work came just like it will for you. I had no interst in rewriting history and was glad that the oldtimers had already written a bestseller.
stldude44 said:When most older guys talk about how it used to be they're probably referring to how this job used to be fun because of the comeraderie among the workforce.....when you couldn't go 10 miles without another freighthauler calling you on the radio and everybody waved at each other and stopped at the same places to eat and visit. The days when 95% of us were all pulling for the same thing....that thing was the betterment of the collective group and seldom was there a thought about individualism. Somewhere along the way in the 90's the real oldtimers were retiring and retiring with them was the cohesiveness that made the time spent at work alot better than what we see today. For several years now we've seen a different type of driver come along. Not all, of course, but many who didn't want to blend in and get to know the others or learn the true ways of being a good Union man.....no.....these guys were out for one thing only and that was themselves. Alot didn't carry a radio so that they didn't have to run with the others. Alot saw the good work rules as holding them back....after all, why stop and eat like normal human beings when they thought they could sack a senior man and get home faster and get out again ahead of senior men.
These guys wanted the benefits and pay of a Union freighthauler but wanted to run like chickenhaulers at the same time. These jobs were not meant to be high paid chickenhauler-in-a-daycab jobs. It was the oldtimers who fought and sacrificed and even went on strike to create these jobs....good jobs where guys could make good money and still have a life away from work.....a balance which provided for the best of both worlds, so to speak. And, to be honest, there were always a handfull of oldtimers who weren't good Union men too, and they were pretty much shunned by the 95% who didn't subscribe to the "ME" agenda.
Power play? I'm not sure what you mean by that. Maybe you can explain it.
Rewrite history? I'm sure we'd all like to see your version of doing that. Keep in mind that back in the 90's when the true oldtimers were retiring, the Companies were just sitting and waiting for them to go so they could try to break down the good work rules and conditions that the oldtimers demanded. History has been rewritten, to a certain degree, and it hasn't been all that positive for us as a group.
Finally, I'll say again that when I was new here I didn't expect to work every day on the bottom of the board. I was happy to know that soon I'd be able to make a very good living and not have to spend my life in a truck. I was patient and the steady work came just like it will for you. I had no interst in rewriting history and was glad that the oldtimers had already written a bestseller.