Hey guys, Abf teamster here, just want to wish you guys the best. Very proud of my brothers and sisters over at FedEx. Union or not, all of us are a family. Good luck and all the best!
Here's a question for the Pro-Union crowd. I've scrolled through the concerns about the working conditions and had a thought. The leading answer seems to be " Job Security", as the reason to organize. My question is, What does that mean? Let's turn the tables and say You were in management. What do you feel the proper discipline is for an incident, a fatal accident, tearing off bumpers and ferrings, sexual harassment, or many of the other infractions that so many are accounted for? If your efforts succeed, do you feel these are serious things? If a driver is driving and texting and hits a car and kills a family, do you feel they should be held accountable? If you slip seat with another driver and every other day there's a different piece of the truck missing, do you feel they should be held accountable? I agree that with union representation you may be more protected to an extent, but permanent employment with any company is not a certainty. If you were an owner operator with a 3 or 4 trucks and 1 of your driver keeps tearing the truck up, would you keep them on? It's a only a few mistakes. God forbid your driver kills someone, because facebook was more important that keeping their eyes on the road, what do you do? Using the logic I've read on the previous 9 pages of this thread, Hey It's no big deal! He made a mistake. Keep truckin!. I will never say this company is perfect. It's far from it. Too many people hired in Supv that know nothing about driving, loading trailers, or communicating with people. Whether you decide to organize or not, those things will still be there. The same Supv and Managers, The company will still have the same policies, as ALL companies do. Do not be misled into thinking organizing suddenly creates an Utopian society where there are no company rules, and you cannot be held accountable for your actions. Ultimately, You still have drive safely, be courteous to customers to keep their business, not harass your co-workers, and you still have work as directed by management. If this what many of feel you want, then you need to do what you need to do. Just my 2 cents.
Here's a question for the Pro-Union crowd. I've scrolled through the concerns about the working conditions and had a thought. The leading answer seems to be " Job Security", as the reason to organize. My question is, What does that mean? Let's turn the tables and say You were in management. What do you feel the proper discipline is for an incident, a fatal accident, tearing off bumpers and ferrings, sexual harassment, or many of the other infractions that so many are accounted for? If your efforts succeed, do you feel these are serious things? If a driver is driving and texting and hits a car and kills a family, do you feel they should be held accountable? If you slip seat with another driver and every other day there's a different piece of the truck missing, do you feel they should be held accountable? I agree that with union representation you may be more protected to an extent, but permanent employment with any company is not a certainty. If you were an owner operator with a 3 or 4 trucks and 1 of your driver keeps tearing the truck up, would you keep them on? It's a only a few mistakes. God forbid your driver kills someone, because facebook was more important that keeping their eyes on the road, what do you do? Using the logic I've read on the previous 9 pages of this thread, Hey It's no big deal! He made a mistake. Keep truckin!. I will never say this company is perfect. It's far from it. Too many people hired in Supv that know nothing about driving, loading trailers, or communicating with people. Whether you decide to organize or not, those things will still be there. The same Supv and Managers, The company will still have the same policies, as ALL companies do. Do not be misled into thinking organizing suddenly creates an Utopian society where there are no company rules, and you cannot be held accountable for your actions. Ultimately, You still have drive safely, be courteous to customers to keep their business, not harass your co-workers, and you still have work as directed by management. If this what many of feel you want, then you need to do what you need to do. Just my 2 cents.
Clan, you are correct as usual on this one baby. Hooty out and to the cave.Well young man, perhaps I can step in for a sec and give my views. Some of us work in centers where life is just grand...we make 100K per year, management never bothers us and other than snow and ice, and a lack of good decent sleep, life is good. Then if what I'm reading on the boards is true, there are some here who work at centers where management may be slightly hostile to workers at a particular barn, where via's and runs are not given out in compliance with policy. Where life may not be so great and Joe driver is struggling to work every night. Perhaps Joe is upset with the fact that Fedex changes the rules whenever they see fit and implement new policy changes that directly affect his life and not yours. I think this union talk is more about accountably and fairness and less about wages if my assumptions are correct. Union or no union, its very interesting watching this one from the sidelines so far...
Why always the most extreme examples... Causing Death? Texting while Driving? Loosing Pieces of the truck? Sexual harassment? REALLY? Unlawful behavior is always cause for termination. So those examples are pretty much covered, Union or not.
Is that really what you gathered from reading these threads? No, really?
What about taking a guy off his route because he refuses to pick up more than 34,500# (legal limit) with a single axle tractor? Another guy happens to be willing to put 50,000 on the trailer. Or what about the guy who refuses to pull a trailer containing HazMat without proper placards.(No, the center didn't have the correct ones) Next day that driver is on a downtown lift gate route. These are much better, real world, examples.
Well young man, perhaps I can step in for sec and give my views. Some of us work in centers where life is just grand...we make 100K per year, management never bothers us and other than snow and ice, and a lack of good decent sleep, life is good. Then if what I'm reading on the boards is true, there are some here who work at centers where management may be slightly hostile to workers at a particular barn, where via's and runs are not given out in compliance with policy. Where life may not be so great and Joe driver is struggling to work every night. Perhaps Joe is upset with the fact that Fedex changes the rules whenever they see fit and implement new policy changes that directly affect his life and not yours. I think this union talk is more about accountably and fairness and less about wages if my assumptions are correct. Union or no union, its very interesting watching this one from the sidelines so far...
Thanks for calling me young... And you are right. You know what I do everyday. My interaction with supervision consists of 30 seconds a day. Those who have signed cards are making the biggest decisions of their life right now. I don't deny there is serious room for improvement at FXF. This all started when the old AF management was weeded out. No idea its this bad in places. At my center, 50 drivers and I know nobody that would sign a card, but yet, I don't know everybody either. I know that if every SCM was like our last one, I could see the need for organizing. (Your favorite guy)
this thread is dead delete it ..texting...hazmat...harassment...do your job...just saying...
this thread is dead delete it ..texting...hazmat...harassment...do your job...just saying...
Why always the most extreme examples... Causing Death? Texting while Driving? Loosing Pieces of the truck? Sexual harassment? REALLY? Unlawful behavior is always cause for termination. So those examples are pretty much covered, Union or not.
Is that really what you gathered from reading these threads? No, really?
What about taking a guy off his route because he refuses to pick up more than 34,500# (legal limit) with a single axle tractor? Another guy happens to be willing to put 50,000 on the trailer... Or what about the guy who refuses to pull a trailer containing HazMat without proper placards (No, the center didn't have the correct ones). Next day that driver is on a downtown lift gate route. These are much better, real world, examples. These are more realistic situations that H/R doesn't seem to care about but a shop steward might be able to assist.
Well it is true.As far as I know the 710 allegations have been reported.We as Teamsters are from perfect.The basic principles if followed through.Do help the common laborer have a voice.We help all that we represent so that it isn't just a management saying of its our way or the highway.Youll have better treatment and based on what is negotiated between your bargaining unit and the corporation.better pay and benefits.This representation in the form of a union is not a bad thing.Youll have job protections.Such as being wrongfully suspended because you're not in the clique.Or harassment by management because they feel like it.All that will be eliminated.The union is not perfect.@DockWalker , I'm assuming you're a manager from your name and the way you put that post, in a small way I feel bad for managers , because they are the root and cause of all of these problems. and they are usually the first ones to go and get fired..