G,
The "new" Truckingboards has quickly become a whinefest. Anybody with even any inkling of positivity is somewhat scorned these days. However, the deepest, darkest most depressing posts will probably earn you some good Rep. so get depressed and get with the program, Bro.....there's no room for anything but negativity here anymore apparently.

P.S......Man, I'd love to have the Prozac concession here. I'd never have to work again.

Theres life after Roadway, it's your choice to ride a Donkey or move on to a Stallion...

Its nice for those still pulling 60 a year plus, to call all the people that got screwed whiners. Makes it easier for you morally doesn't it. You want to say its over, however for many of us it isn't. We are forced to deal with it every day. I love waiting for the update line to tell me even though they are out of drivers, they aren't gonna let me work. Prior to THIS CONTRACT, they HAD to let us work. The difference is now the company and the union, don't want us working. If we work, they can't keep the satellites empty of drivers so they can reroute freight to USF GM. We get to spend all day waiting to see if they'll have enough express freight, so that they'll get Special Permission to let us work that night and thus the entire week. Make yourself unavailable and you could lose anywhere from a 400 to a 1700 paycheck depending on how it would fall.

Oh honey, how was your day?

Good but I just talked to Bill, the guy behind me on the board that always stays available. He got out last week, made just over a $1700 paycheck along w/his bennies.

WOW, good for Bill. I'm glad you weren't available and just sat on your /// watching TV for a lousy unemployment check. You take such good care of your family.

Just keep patting yourselves on the back, keep enjoying your boats and RV's and don't forget to give each other Atta Boy's over what a great life you have.

BTW If you guys look at my posts, you'll see I don't normally say much until you tell someone else off. Once you quit talking about it, I do also usually.

V,
You're gonna see it the way you want to no matter what, so I'll just point out a few things that aren't accurate. Hard layoffs began back in the late 90's....they aren't in any way related to this contract exclusively. They have never had to call a laid off man to work if they didn't want to. Before the late 90's when they started the so-called hard layoffs, they would call laid off men as needed. Do I agree that they should let freight sit and not move it when men are available? No, but they don't ask me or any of us for our opinions.

We are now in a recession, I don't care what the Gov't or the media says. It's taking it's toll on all transportation providers and we are no different. In fact, as the highest compensated workers in the industry, we are at a disadvantage to the competition in this regard. To really believe that the Companies and the Union want people to sit at home is ridiculous. That would mean that they were both content to remain the same and not grow at all. You talk a lot about Glen Moore but from all I've ever seen or read what has been posted here the only place I'm aware of that GM runs out of is KCM. And they are becoming Teamsters in Local 955. No, they won't be under the NMFA but from what I hear they don't make much less than we do....maybe 4 or 5 cents per mile. Much better than most "chicken hauler" type operations. The savings over the rail, if any at all, will allow YRC to be more competitive and give faster service, which has been long needed. All of this, and the allowing of UE workers, while not fitting in with the norm of years past as far as Teamster practices go, has all been designed to further allow YRC to really compete with those who pay a much smaller overall compensation package to their workforces. Now we'll take freight from them instead of the other way around, which has been going on for many years now. While you, and others, are idle now, and we all know that it's no fun, the longer term affects of the new way of doing business may very well secure your job and that of many others. While I certainly do not rubber stamp everything that the International does I'm glad they had the foresight to at least try to allow the Company the opportunity to restructure and grow. It was and is the only way any longterm viability will be achieved whether we want to accept it or not. I respectfully disagree that all of this is a conspiracy to smack the junior drivers. Unfortunately it's always the junior men who take the hit. Always has been and always will be. That's just seniority. My biggest hope is that these things work and people get back to work. To continue the old status quo would have had a much worse longterm affect on everybody. I'm no expert at any of this but I have paid pretty close attention for the years I've been in freight. We were all going backwards before due to the pricing and faster service of the nons. Again, this is the only way, all things considered, that we are going to get people back to work even if it happens slowly. Unless, of course, the economy comes booming back.....which I don't see happening anytime soon....gas went up again today where I live.

So overall, it's my opinion that this was the IBT's way of trying to secure a future for all of us, not just those who have been here a while longer. It's definitely not very popular but in the end, if it works out, everyone will see why it had to be this way. Here's hoping it works for all of our sakes.

Well said Dude.

This is one of the best post i've read on hear in a long time.Nice job Dude!As a road steward i could not agree with you more.We must change with the times or be gone!This is the end of the line for nmfa trucking theres no where else to go.Lets put all the B.S. aside and roll up are sleeves and make it work.HAVE A GOOD HOLIDAY brothers.