XPO | Xpo Union Thread.

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I'm neither pro union or anti union I would like to hear both sides of the story I've heard xpo's side anti union videos and bullshit this place for me is just a stepping stone till something better comes along I've got some job apps filled out so well see i like options that being said I grew up in a strict union household United steel workers to be exact and at the family dinner table if you were to say something bad about a union you would have been picking yourself up off the floor we have to remember if it weren't for roadway yellow cf and ABF and others every one of you here not me cause I wouldn't be here but most of you would would be making 12.00 dollars an hour and 24 cents a mile so don't forget that if the teamsters do fold alot of you will be in trouble cause xpo will have free rein then so most of you that are at xpo are stuck big house payments fancy cars high dollar child support so you are stuck here I'm sorry you made bad decisions in your life I on the other hand am not stuck so before we go thinking the union is the devil look at this place almost everyone at this place is miserable from drivers to fos to management that's not right we should be happy instead of grumpy all the time oh well I'm done have a great weekend
 
I'm neither pro union or anti union I would like to hear both sides of the story I've heard xpo's side anti union videos and :horseshit: this place for me is just a stepping stone till something better comes along I've got some job apps filled out so well see i like options that being said I grew up in a strict union household United steel workers to be exact and at the family dinner table if you were to say something bad about a union you would have been picking yourself up off the floor we have to remember if it weren't for roadway yellow cf and ABF and others every one of you here not me cause I wouldn't be here but most of you would would be making 12.00 dollars an hour and 24 cents a mile so don't forget that if the teamsters do fold alot of you will be in trouble cause xpo will have free rein then so most of you that are at xpo are stuck big house payments fancy cars high dollar child support so you are stuck here I'm sorry you made bad decisions in your life I on the other hand am not stuck so before we go thinking the union is the devil look at this place almost everyone at this place is miserable from drivers to fos to management that's not right we should be happy instead of grumpy all the time oh well I'm done have a great weekend
Lol. Ok. No mortgage or alilmony or child support. Working here has allowed me to pay off my mortgage and my truck, have a nice nest egg in the bank, and allowed my wife to quit working full time so she can do what she wants. I'm happy. No one is stuck here. Quit if it's so bad for you.
 
Lol. Ok. No mortgage or alilmony or child support. Working here has allowed me to pay off my mortgage and my truck, have a nice nest egg in the bank, and allowed my wife to quit working full time so she can do what she wants. I'm happy. No one is stuck here. Quit if it's so bad for you.
Me too.
Debt free. Living in a nice neighborhood, No Canadians,( just kidding), wife backed off to 7 hours a day.
 
Sad but true. It's a war of broken promises and misleading false statements out there now, pitting union vs. non-union. The union may well be gone in the freight business at some point in the next 10 years or so, but that's when all bets are off as to what the non-union companies do with their employees. With no union pay scale, benefits or contracts to use as a standard to base non-union pay and benefits on, look for the non-union companies to take full advantage of it by dropping both pay and benefits. It will become a "sellers market", with the companies holding all the cards. The "buyers" will be drivers and dock workers available at a dime a dozen, willing to work for anything. Just look at what most of the big truckload companies like JB Hunt, Celadon, Werner, Barr- Nunn, Swift, Heartland, Crete Carrier and USA Truck are doing. They are paying low wages, abusing home time, no such thing as seniority and hiring just about anybody that can hold a steering wheel. Some drivers are now being hired that ca't even speak English. They even run their own "truck driver training schools" as a source of revenue for the company, charging thousands of dollars for the "training" of gullible good people just trying to get a good job. These companies are "blood suckers" preying on good people just trying to get some training with the false promise of a guaranteed job. Once the "contract" is signed, the company has no obligation to even keep you as a driver, yet the money must be paid.
Look for the same thing to happen in ALL areas of trucking once the Teamster pay and working standards are gone completely.
I know full well that the Teamster FreightDivision members are now going through bad times, thanks to bad management and poor leadership at certain companies, the CSPF and the IBT. If Teamster influence, pay and contract demands disappear as a "yard stick" to use by even non-union freight companies to set their own compensation packages, pay and benefits will drop for everybody in the freight business. Companies will pay no more than necessary and they are OK with hiring the least qualified to continue to keep new hire pay low. Driver "turnover" is not a problem since so many are willing to work for pennies - at least until they figure out they're getting screwed. When the DO quit, there's a hundred more standing in line to take their job. It's an endless circle and the companies love it. With no more union, they will be free to keep hiring and firing at will.

If the truckload carriers you named are treating there driver so bad why is it so hard for all the LTL companies to find drivers? YRC and ABF have had signs out for the last 4yrs, that I know of, hiring drivers, dockworkers, mechanics, and bosses. The point is 15yrs ago none of the LTL companies had to put signs out, it went by word of month or the TM had a stack of apps to pick through. More or less driver were beating down the doors to work at these types of companies.
The problems are, no one wants to do this job, or they don't what the headache of all the endorsements need on your CDL, or like a buddy told me, his job performance not a seniority list should make were he stands in the company.

Driving schools???? We have driving schools so does FedEx and OD

You said the union is going through bad time. The union is allowing YRC to only pay 25% of what they should be paying to the pension plan so why would I want to invest into that. CSPF is going broke fast we all know it.

Driver turnover is high for many different reason. Like pay, home time, working hours, equipment, and many others reason. Every drive has there own reason why they leave one company and go to another.

Since deregulation of the trucking industry the non-union carries grown and a lot of union carries have closed there doors. You think if the teamsters closed up shop our pay would crash I don't think so. With the low number of clean record CDL drivers and more and more retiring and less coming in I think the pay will go higher.
 
https://teamster.org/news/2017/04/xpo-workers-trenton-new-jersey-vote-join-teamsters-local-701
Way to go Trenton guys!
Welcome aboard!

XPO Workers in Trenton, New Jersey Vote to Join Teamsters Local 701

April 14, 2017
XPO drivers in Trenton, New Jersey voted to join Teamsters Local 701 on Friday, April 14, boosting momentum to a nationwide workers' campaign for fairness at the giant transportation and logistics company.


Also voting on Friday, April 14, drivers in Elgin, Illinois and dockworkers in Aurora, Illinois were not successful at this time seeking Teamster representation. The actions of XPO and its high-priced union busters has been egregious and suspect throughout the company's campaigns and will be challenged through the National Labor Relations Board.

The 34 drivers in Trenton join the hundreds of workers nationwide who have already formed their union as Teamsters. The earlier victories were in Aurora (drivers); Miami; Laredo, Texas; Vernon, Calif.; North Haven, Conn.; and King of Prussia, Pa.

"The victory in Trenton and the company's desperate actions in Illinois show that the XPO workers' campaign is getting stronger and stronger, as freight, warehouse and port drivers fight for a more secure future," said Ernie Soehl, Director of the Teamsters National Freight Division, who is also President of Local 701 in North Brunswick, New Jersey. "The workers help make XPO very successful and they deserve to be rewarded for their hard work."

The drivers are seeking decent and affordable health insurance, a secure retirement, job security and a voice on the job. Port, freight and warehouse workers at XPO are coming together across the country in their fight for a more secure future.
 
I'm neither pro union or anti union I would like to hear both sides of the story I've heard xpo's side anti union videos and :horseshit: this place for me is just a stepping stone till something better comes along I've got some job apps filled out so well see i like options that being said I grew up in a strict union household United steel workers to be exact and at the family dinner table if you were to say something bad about a union you would have been picking yourself up off the floor we have to remember if it weren't for roadway yellow cf and ABF and others every one of you here not me cause I wouldn't be here but most of you would would be making 12.00 dollars an hour and 24 cents a mile so don't forget that if the teamsters do fold alot of you will be in trouble cause xpo will have free rein then so most of you that are at xpo are stuck big house payments fancy cars high dollar child support so you are stuck here I'm sorry you made bad decisions in your life I on the other hand am not stuck so before we go thinking the union is the devil look at this place almost everyone at this place is miserable from drivers to fos to management that's not right we should be happy instead of grumpy all the time oh well I'm done have a great weekend

It sound like you just hate your job and your occupation and sound like you need to get out of trucking all together. When I got into trucking in the early 90s I was paid $0.25 per mile and a year later at my first hourly job I was paid around $13
 
Yes I was in a union shop years ago. That was back in my young and dumb days. I gotten smarter since then and know that join a union is like investing in a VCR company
A whole lotta people got "smart' like you.....this is what it brought us:
http://www.usdebtclock.org/

We might start rethinking the 'smart' concept.

There's 2 groups who control the nations politics....the unions...or the corporations......union numbers have went from 36% in 1955 to 11% today.....all of your thoughts on unions has brought many of the problems in that debt clock....the corporations have been running it all for many many years,,,,the proof of their greatness is in that debt clock link.,,,,,,Thanks.
 
I am a died in the wool Teamster. But, after reading the above posts about how bad a company is, I went over to the Dayton Forum. And dam if I didn't find some happy campers. Now I know not everything is rosy @ Dayton, but look @ all the posts under 'Do you like Dayton'? Not one post bad mouthed their company & some are ex union men. I imagine their pay is close to union scale & their benefits less than Master Freight benefits, but how can they be happy working for less. I know not paying for medical each week is a huge benefit, that will probably end in the next contract. So if they have no problem working for less than union scale, do you think it is the way they are treated by their employer that makes them so happy? Just wondering. von.
 
I am a died in the wool Teamster. But, after reading the above posts about how bad a company is, I went over to the Dayton Forum. And dam if I didn't find some happy campers. Now I know not everything is rosy @ Dayton, but look @ all the posts under 'Do you like Dayton'? Not one post bad mouthed their company & some are ex union men. I imagine their pay is close to union scale & their benefits less than Master Freight benefits, but how can they be happy working for less. I know not paying for medical each week is a huge benefit, that will probably end in the next contract. So if they have no problem working for less than union scale, do you think it is the way they are treated by their employer that makes them so happy? Just wondering. von.
What's union scale?

As far as I can tell they get OT after 8 and after 40 and some type of bonus twice a year and the pay per hour is on par with the other LTLs.
 
What's union scale?

As far as I can tell they get OT after 8 and after 40 and some type of bonus twice a year and the pay per hour is on par with the other LTLs.


What I tried to express & failed to is, Non-union trucking companies that directly compete with union carriers pay very close to the ongoing union pay rates & benefits. If a non union company's compensation is close to the union wages & benefits, and treats their employees with respect in the work place that they have earned, they should have no fear of their workers jumping ship for greener pastures. It appears Dayton does that better than most LTL carriers. Not necessarily a fact, but an observation on my part. von.
 
What I tried to express & failed to is, Non-union trucking companies that directly compete with union carriers pay very close to the ongoing union pay rates & benefits. If a non union company's compensation is close to the union wages & benefits, and treats their employees with respect in the work place that they have earned, they should have no fear of their workers jumping ship for greener pastures. It appears Dayton does that better than most LTL carriers. Not necessarily a fact, but an observation on my part. von.
If unionization doesn't seem like an option and kissing the boots of ownership/management isn't the way to go , what are the options for genuine chronic problems that face non-union workers on a regular basis?

I'm not talking vote with your feet and leave either ( that may work for some , but a LOT of non-union workers have significant time and effort invested in these companies - there are plenty of examples of those that have made a great living and don't want to see these companies destroyed for the sake the people on top )

The management that runs most of these large corporations aren't stupid ( for the most part ) they realize that there's a healthy balance that can ( and needs to be ) reached between the everyday working people and the ones that don't have to work as much to have a good living. What do you do when they refuse to keep that balance?

For those of you that work at XPO Logistics - what do you do when you have no union but you have people with issues not being addressed and the internal systems to resolve problems seems broke at best?

I have no idea what the answer is but the question is how does XPO Logistics react if you pick a meaningful day ( at the end of the month/end of the quarter ) and make management listen to you?
 
If unionization doesn't seem like an option and kissing the boots of ownership/management isn't the way to go , what are the options for genuine chronic problems that face non-union workers on a regular basis.

I'm not talking vote with your feet and leave either ( that may work for some , but a LOT of non-union workers have significant time and effort invested in these companies - there are plenty of examples of those that have made a great living and don't want to see these companies destroyed for the sake the people on top )

The management that runs most of these large corporations aren't stupid ( for the most part ) they realize that there's a healthy balance that can ( and needs to be ) reached between the everyday working people and the ones that don't have to work as much to have a good living. What do you do when they refuse to keep that balance?

For those of you that work at XPO Logistics - what do you do when you have no union but you have people with issues not being addressed and the internal systems to resolve problems seems broke at best?

I have no idea what the answer is but the question is how does XPO Logistics react if you pick a meaningful day ( at the end of the month/end of the quarter ) and make management listen to you?
Management still has the mindset " If you don't like it , Leave " . Really you are not loosing much other than Vacation and maybe a cushy start time / bid run. As far as benefits goes, your better off getting away from there. Just saying.
 
If the truckload carriers you named are treating there driver so bad why is it so hard for all the LTL companies to find drivers? YRC and ABF have had signs out for the last 4yrs, that I know of, hiring drivers, dockworkers, mechanics, and bosses. The point is 15yrs ago none of the LTL companies had to put signs out, it went by word of month or the TM had a stack of apps to pick through. More or less driver were beating down the doors to work at these types of companies.
The problems are, no one wants to do this job, or they don't what the headache of all the endorsements need on your CDL, or like a buddy told me, his job performance not a seniority list should make were he stands in the company.

Driving schools???? We have driving schools so does FedEx and OD

You said the union is going through bad time. The union is allowing YRC to only pay 25% of what they should be paying to the pension plan so why would I want to invest into that. CSPF is going broke fast we all know it.

Driver turnover is high for many different reason. Like pay, home time, working hours, equipment, and many others reason. Every drive has there own reason why they leave one company and go to another.

Since deregulation of the trucking industry the non-union carries grown and a lot of union carries have closed there doors. You think if the teamsters closed up shop our pay would crash I don't think so. With the low number of clean record CDL drivers and more and more retiring and less coming in I think the pay will go higher.
Good luck on the higher pay ! ! The simple answer for the shortage of people to fill jobs at ALL trucking companies is that the new generation of kids coming out of high school or college is that "snowflakes" are being produced by the millions. The new generation (known as Gen X) do not want to work. They don't want to work nights, or weekends, or actually SWEAT, or get their hands dirty. The must pass a drug screen and have no DUI. How many young people (or any people) you know can pass a **** test for drugs? Not many? Those are all things that are a big part of the trucking industry. Also since 9/11, the background checks are a lot more strict. People with drug use or trafficking records are usually eliminated even if they didn't do any jail time. Since the trucking companies are now lowering their formerly strict standards, that also paints the whole industry with a poor reputation. How many parents actually recommend their kids to go into trucking? None, that I know of.
The young people now entering the work force are more into electronics, computers, smart phones, video games and sports bars. The other "dirty smelly, sweaty, noisey jobs" such as welders, mechanics, machinists are going unfilled too, even though they are high paying good jobs with a future. They are being passed over by the new "snowflake generation" that thinks clean, high paying jobs should be just handed to them. They want to start at the top of the pay scale, NOT at the bottom and work up. Too many are now living on government entitlements or on Mommy and Daddy's money. And, yes, all the negative news about unions (some true, some not true) is affecting those looking for jobs, too.
Just go to your typical large truck stop these days. The parking lot is littered with **** filled plastic bottles. Go inside and there is always a few fat, sloppy geaseball drivers sitting in the booths or at the food bar. We won't even mention what goes on after dark in that same parking lot - "Lot Lizzards" galore. Stop on an exit or on ramp on any interstate and it, too, is littered with **** bottles. Is there any wonder why so many do not want to get into trucking now? It has become so disgusting, that during my final years as a line haul driver, I didn't tell anybody what I did for a living. We are all painted with the same brush.
 
Good luck on the higher pay ! ! The simple answer for the shortage of people to fill jobs at ALL trucking companies is that the new generation of kids coming out of high school or college is that "snowflakes" are being produced by the millions. The new generation (known as Gen X) do not want to work. They don't want to work nights, or weekends, or actually SWEAT, or get their hands dirty. The must pass a drug screen and have no DUI. How many young people (or any people) you know can pass a **** test for drugs? Not many? Those are all things that are a big part of the trucking industry. Also since 9/11, the background checks are a lot more strict. People with drug use or trafficking records are usually eliminated even if they didn't do any jail time. Since the trucking companies are now lowering their formerly strict standards, that also paints the whole industry with a poor reputation. How many parents actually recommend their kids to go into trucking? None, that I know of.
The young people now entering the work force are more into electronics, computers, smart phones, video games and sports bars. The other "dirty smelly, sweaty, noisey jobs" such as welders, mechanics, machinists are going unfilled too, even though they are high paying good jobs with a future. They are being passed over by the new "snowflake generation" that thinks clean, high paying jobs should be just handed to them. They want to start at the top of the pay scale, NOT at the bottom and work up. Too many are now living on government entitlements or on Mommy and Daddy's money. And, yes, all the negative news about unions (some true, some not true) is affecting those looking for jobs, too.
Just go to your typical large truck stop these days. The parking lot is littered with **** filled plastic bottles. Go inside and there is always a few fat, sloppy geaseball drivers sitting in the booths or at the food bar. We won't even mention what goes on after dark in that same parking lot - "Lot Lizzards" galore. Stop on an exit or on ramp on any interstate and it, too, is littered with **** bottles. Is there any wonder why so many do not want to get into trucking now? It has become so disgusting, that during my final years as a line haul driver, I didn't tell anybody what I did for a living. We are all painted with the same brush.
I think you're hitting on the problem but seeing it from the wrong angle. The driver shortage and big truckload companies have ruined our industry. Here's how, there has been a shortage of drivers since the late 90's the truckload companies kept getting bigger and bigger and since they have never been able to be disciplined in pricing they started rate wars. These rate wars meant they had to lower the standards for drivers because they couldn't afford to pay them. You might ask how this affects LTL? Truckload is the feeder system for drivers into LTL. Truckload lowered their standards but LTL did not want to. So it takes longer to fill positions for LTL or lower their standards also which is where we are now. Truckload used to be the minor league for drivers and when they got ready they tried to come to LTL. Now most are not qualified for LTL for whatever reason or don't even realize LTL is out there and pays so much better.
 
If unionization doesn't seem like an option and kissing the boots of ownership/management isn't the way to go , what are the options for genuine chronic problems that face non-union workers on a regular basis?

I'm not talking vote with your feet and leave either ( that may work for some , but a LOT of non-union workers have significant time and effort invested in these companies - there are plenty of examples of those that have made a great living and don't want to see these companies destroyed for the sake the people on top )

The management that runs most of these large corporations aren't stupid ( for the most part ) they realize that there's a healthy balance that can ( and needs to be ) reached between the everyday working people and the ones that don't have to work as much to have a good living. What do you do when they refuse to keep that balance?

For those of you that work at XPO Logistics - what do you do when you have no union but you have people with issues not being addressed and the internal systems to resolve problems seems broke at best?

I have no idea what the answer is but the question is how does XPO Logistics react if you pick a meaningful day ( at the end of the month/end of the quarter ) and make management listen to you?
I feel like we as drivers should definitely organize but not into a union. I'm like serene on this one. If you have to use the threat of a vote to get upper management to listen I understand but you lose all leverage after you vote in the Teamsters. I see all these union posts after a vote that talk about how these guys want better conditions and better health care and benefits. I'm really ok with the benefit package we have. Is it what it once was? No. Is it pretty good for the industry? Yes. My biggest issues come from poor management or lack of management and I don't think im the only one who fills this way. I know we have the guys that are still chapped about the pension and health care but I really feel management is the reason for most of the bad morale. I sure don't think a union is gonna fix management. Guys will say "well the union will hold management accountable". I want drivers and management held accountable. that's the problem, nobody is held accountable for their job right now.

So if we could get corporates attention to get us better supervisors that know how to do their job. That would make a world of difference, because then they could hold drivers who are not doing their job right accountable. But it's impossible when the supervisors aren't even doing their job right.
 
Good luck on the higher pay ! ! The simple answer for the shortage of people to fill jobs at ALL trucking companies is that the new generation of kids coming out of high school or college is that "snowflakes" are being produced by the millions. The new generation (known as Gen X) do not want to work. They don't want to work nights, or weekends, or actually SWEAT, or get their hands dirty. The must pass a drug screen and have no DUI. How many young people (or any people) you know can pass a **** test for drugs? Not many? Those are all things that are a big part of the trucking industry. Also since 9/11, the background checks are a lot more strict. People with drug use or trafficking records are usually eliminated even if they didn't do any jail time. Since the trucking companies are now lowering their formerly strict standards, that also paints the whole industry with a poor reputation. How many parents actually recommend their kids to go into trucking? None, that I know of.
The young people now entering the work force are more into electronics, computers, smart phones, video games and sports bars. The other "dirty smelly, sweaty, noisey jobs" such as welders, mechanics, machinists are going unfilled too, even though they are high paying good jobs with a future. They are being passed over by the new "snowflake generation" that thinks clean, high paying jobs should be just handed to them. They want to start at the top of the pay scale, NOT at the bottom and work up. Too many are now living on government entitlements or on Mommy and Daddy's money. And, yes, all the negative news about unions (some true, some not true) is affecting those looking for jobs, too.
Just go to your typical large truck stop these days. The parking lot is littered with **** filled plastic bottles. Go inside and there is always a few fat, sloppy geaseball drivers sitting in the booths or at the food bar. We won't even mention what goes on after dark in that same parking lot - "Lot Lizzards" galore. Stop on an exit or on ramp on any interstate and it, too, is littered with **** bottles. Is there any wonder why so many do not want to get into trucking now? It has become so disgusting, that during my final years as a line haul driver, I didn't tell anybody what I did for a living. We are all painted with the same brush.
Henry, you really nailed this one. Especially about young people not wanting a job like ours. They have no desire to start @ the bottom & make their bones in this industry. But, you can bet that people coming from a third world company would give a limb to drive a truck to support their family. For they know how good they will have it here compared to their own country. A perfect example is the Mexicans for decades crossing our border to work the fields of this country & returning or sending their wages back to their home. I worked on a 6,000 acre tomato farm outside of Sacramento,CA in the summer of 1972. I drove a forklift all day loading flatbeds in the fields. I was the only white man in a camp of 60. I knew of no American who wanted to bend over 10 hours a day & pick produce back then. And no one today coming out of college or high school would sign up for that kind of work. von.
 
I feel like we as drivers should definitely organize but not into a union. I'm like serene on this one. If you have to use the threat of a vote to get upper management to listen I understand but you lose all leverage after you vote in the Teamsters. I see all these union posts after a vote that talk about how these guys want better conditions and better health care and benefits. I'm really ok with the benefit package we have. Is it what it once was? No. Is it pretty good for the industry? Yes. My biggest issues come from poor management or lack of management and I don't think im the only one who fills this way. I know we have the guys that are still chapped about the pension and health care but I really feel management is the reason for most of the bad morale. I sure don't think a union is gonna fix management. Guys will say "well the union will hold management accountable". I want drivers and management held accountable. that's the problem, nobody is held accountable for their job right now.

So if we could get corporates attention to get us better supervisors that know how to do their job. That would make a world of difference, because then they could hold drivers who are not doing their job right accountable. But it's impossible when the supervisors aren't even doing their job right.
If you continue to do the same thing and expect a different result , it's insanity.

What I was saying in the post prior to this one is if you have no union it doesn't mean you have no voice.

I was hinting that there's little it seems that the company could do if like minded co-workers decided not to make it to work one day. ( Like the end of the month/end of the quarter ) I would guess this would get someone that matters to listen to issues and concerns AND maybe actually do something to address chronic problems.
 
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