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Yellow | Why most of America’s 2 million long-haul truck drivers aren’t unionized

Steward of the Rock said:
If I am not mistaken, a month or two ago, I read that Old Dominion does the economic terminations like LTL Anon is talking about. If I remember correctly, when you are laid off there, you lose everything including seniority, vacation progression, etc.
Basically, when you return, you are like a new hire just starting. So, yes there is such a thing as economic termination as LTL Anon stated. Some one please correct me if I misunderstood this practice at OD!!!
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I agree with what you posted...but the actual point I was making was, how many at will employees actually get "fired" for not reason whatsoever.
 
Steward of the Rock said:
If I am not mistaken, a month or two ago, I read that Old Dominion does the economic terminations like LTL Anon is talking about. If I remember correctly, when you are laid off there, you lose everything including seniority, vacation progression, etc.
Basically, when you return, you are like a new hire just starting. So, yes there is such a thing as economic termination as LTL Anon stated. Some one please correct me if I misunderstood this practice at OD!!!
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SOR, in the context of the original question, the poster asked "if anyone ever seen an at will employee fired for no reason at all?" That's very different from being let go because of economic reasons. I can guarantee that if you go to a new job and say you were "fired" for some reason vs. you were let go for economic reasons, you'll have a much better chance of being hired if you're there because of the latter.
 
Triplex said:
SOR, in the context of the original question, the poster asked "if anyone ever seen an at will employee fired for no reason at all?" That's very different from being let go because of economic reasons. I can guarantee that if you go to a new job and say you were "fired" for some reason vs. you were let go for economic reasons, you'll have a much better chance of being hired if you're there because of the latter.
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I completely agree with you brother. It would still suck to have to start over like you never even worked there to begin with at no fault of your own. I assume you guys retain your seniority for up to five years as we do at ABF if you are laid off?
 
Brassballs said:
I agree with what you posted...but the actual point I was making was, how many at will employees actually get "fired" for not reason whatsoever.
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At-will has less effect in good times. Employers need workers to make money.

It's when the inevitable CONTRACTION occurs and heads start rolling that at-will employment rears its ugly head.

And OD fell many, many spots in my rankings because of what they were doing recently. There is NO incentive to stay there, if you have to kiss ass and be a good boy until you retire.
 
Brassballs said:
I agree with what you posted...but the actual point I was making was, how many at will employees actually get "fired" for not reason whatsoever.
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Anything such as an incident when backing into a door and dinging a mirror, or if the boss's nephew needs a job, and he doesn't like you, you're gone, the only recourse you have, is to file for unemployment. When a driver from OD gets let go during an economic downturn, with other drivers with less time surviving the cut, that's termination at will, junior guys don't mind, they moved up, sad part is, 20 years ago, he was thinking the same thing, vicious cycle. Bottom line, getting rid of someone for no reason is a good reason to get rid of someone, as the employer sees it.
 
Steward of the Rock said:
Here at the Rock (ABF), we still file a grievance and win (monetary) all the things you mentioned with the exception of the Shiny Wheels (Purchase Transport). And, if the company violates the percentage allowed by the contract (5%), our Road Stewards have filed (monetary) and won that one as well.
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We didn't use Shiny Wheels in Charl, pig only.
The switcher recorded the trailer numbers going to the pig, if a driver didn't get out, he was paid.
Any supervisor doing any type of work was unheard of.
 
LTLAnonymous said:
At-will has less effect in good times. Employers need workers to make money.

It's when the inevitable CONTRACTION occurs and heads start rolling that at-will employment rears its ugly head.

And OD fell many, many spots in my rankings because of what they were doing recently. There is NO incentive to stay there, if you have to kiss ass and be a good boy until you retire.
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So is it better to earn upwards of $6 an hour less with potentially no future?
I have my doubts about the ODFL story... There may be more to that....
 
Puff Driver said:
So is it better to earn upwards of $6 an hour less with potentially no future?
I have my doubts about the ODFL story... There may be more to that....
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That's up to the individual. Personally, I make $42 per hour.

And fortunately, there's an ODFL forum on this very site where you can corroborate the story. Multiple people from different regions said it was happening at their terminal.
 
Razorblade said:
The Teamsters neither represent nor enrich me. I am not on the union payroll.
Yellow employees should remember that the union does not pay their salaries, they don't pay their insurance premiums and they don't make any pension contributions. Demanding wages and work rules that result in a Yellow bankruptcy hurts no one but Teamsters. The only people responsible for sub standard wages and benefits are the people who accept them. If you are not happy with your job, find another. Nobody is a "Slave".
ABF is not the benchmark of compensation. It is the exception not the rule and that is not because of anything the Teamsters have done. It is solely because of ABF senior management.
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Am I to assume the Teamsters had nothing to do with negotiating that million-dollar pension to enrich your life?
I guess those non-union carriers had intentions all along to have that million-dollar pension waiting for you on your retirement.
I guess I was fooled, I thought the Teamsters had a hand in what I've been drawing for 33 years.
 
seabreeze said:
Am I to assume the Teamsters had nothing to do with negotiating that million-dollar pension to enrich your life?
I guess those non-union carriers had intentions all along to have that million-dollar pension waiting for you on your retirement.
I guess I was fooled, I thought the Teamsters had a hand in what I've been drawing for 33 years.
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Nope. They robbed you. Made you pay someone just to go to work! *conservative tears*
 
Puff Driver said:
So is it better to earn upwards of $6 an hour less with potentially no future?
I have my doubts about the ODFL story... There may be more to that....
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If you’re talking about what I think you’re talking about I worked for OD almost 18 years.
I’ve seen 2 cycles of Economic Termination. They don’t go by seniority either. They open the files. If you are let go, you can come back if they allow you. You start as a new driver again. The dock to driver is protected to some extent.
I totally disagreed with the policy. I was never affected by it, but had a couple of friends that were.
 
seabreeze said:
Am I to assume the Teamsters had nothing to do with negotiating that million-dollar pension to enrich your life?
I guess those non-union carriers had intentions all along to have that million-dollar pension waiting for you on your retirement.
I guess I was fooled, I thought the Teamsters had a hand in what I've been drawing for 33 years.
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The pension is an annuity paid for by premiums paid by my employer per my employment contract negotiated by the Teamsters union. My pension now is a welfare check guaranteed by the federal government.
 
Razorblade said:
The pension is an annuity paid for by premiums paid by my employer per my employment contract negotiated by the Teamsters union. My pension now is a welfare check guaranteed by the federal government.
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You stated in post 33 the Teamsters didn't enrich you, regardless of what you call it, without the Teamsters you wouldn't have that pension.
 
seabreeze said:
You stated in post 33 the Teamsters didn't enrich you, regardless of what you call it, without the Teamsters you wouldn't have that pension.
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The trick is, unlike most the posters here, I never depended on a promise from the union to provide for my old age. I guess you are partially correct. The pension did enrich me since it came to me as money I never depended on and would never need.
 
Chiefs 2020 said:
Anything such as an incident when backing into a door and dinging a mirror, or if the boss's nephew needs a job, and he doesn't like you, you're gone, the only recourse you have, is to file for unemployment. When a driver from OD gets let go during an economic downturn, with other drivers with less time surviving the cut, that's termination at will, junior guys don't mind, they moved up, sad part is, 20 years ago, he was thinking the same thing, vicious cycle. Bottom line, getting rid of someone for no reason is a good reason to get rid of someone, as the employer sees it.
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Name the time at any major truck line in today's world that a guy was let go because the boss's nephew needed a job?
And the mirror ding would most likely only happen if a guy had something else before or was a newbie.
I can understand "at will" 30 years ago.. And at XYZ trucking owned by a couple of guys...they could and would do whatever they wanted..without cause.
In today's world, the vast majority of major truck lines use seniority just like the union does.
There will be instances when a guy gets back to the terminal before a senior man and gets the next best stop or goes home first.
That's one of the major differences between union and non in my experience with both...and I don't condone either instance I listed , but its also the choice I made..
 
Razorblade said:
The trick is, unlike most the posters here, I never depended on a promise from the union to provide for my old age. I guess you are partially correct. The pension did enrich me since it came to me as money I never depended on and would never need.
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You never depended on it, but since it was paid in on your behalf you take the money just like everyone else.....but you are the only one collecting it, keeping it, and then complaining about it....you never depended on it because you boned all your creditors with your bankruptcy, why don't you cry next about bankruptcy laws.....
 
ABF381 said:
You never depended on it, but since it was paid in on your behalf you take the money just like everyone else.....but you are the only one collecting it, keeping it, and then complaining about it....you never depended on it because you boned all your creditors with your bankruptcy, why don't you cry next about bankruptcy laws.....
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My 1982 bankruptcy was indeed a low point in my life. I was young and dumb. Bankruptcy laws were created to give people a second chance. I took that second chance and made a vow never to be poor again. Pension, I am collecting it, I am keeping it and I'm not complaining about it. I am no different than most, I have more than I need and less than I want. I Gladly accept two pensions, Social Security, Medicare and anything else available to me. My complaint is that the pension promise caused most to not accept the personal responsibility to save and invest for retirement. It's the old all your eggs in one basket mistake. As a matter of principle, I don't believe the taxpayer bailout was right.
 
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