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ABF | Contract Poll

Stoney said:
The question is there anyplace we can give? I say yes. But all I see from most here is "no" to anything.

But why do you have union brothers calling ABF greedy? That kind of Drama Queen doesn't help.

I'm all for pension reform, and 401ks for new hires. A pay freeze for a whole contract and changes in work rules.
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I am sure we can give in some ways, but I think we really better be careful what we give.
There is only one way I would be willing to change our pension reform as some think we need
1. It has to make sure all members are protected, future and current retires. I am not sure about 401k at all, if you are getting close for retirement, then I am not sure how 401k will benefit someone who only has a few years to receive top pay. Why would someone want to come to ABF If their goal is to retire soon but will never receive full benefits. If you were young and just starting out, then maybe it would be beneficial, but I wonder how that will benefit our retires now and in the future, since it is a 401k and not going into the pension fund, (but then I still not sure I would be for that).

2. I sure don’t want to have a pay freeze, but that is one that I would most likely entertain, if we have to give anything. I also think if we have a pay freeze, then we should be getting profit sharing in the event that the company is profitable. We should not be subject to pay cuts, without any chance of enjoying the benefits of profitability that the company will be getting.

3. Now this is one we better be most careful with. Work rule changes can affect our personal lives and our jobs at work, and very possible make our life miserable, and may be our worst enemy. This is one that we better read and read again, they have lawyers drawing this up, as we have the teamsters, I wouldn’t even mind having a 3rd party read this just to make sure we are not giving up rules and rights, that has been fought for so hard. We need to protect our members and jobs, not saying there shouldn’t be any changes, I think we should use caution.
 
If you think there's a driver shortage now,what do you think is going to happen if you put in provisions like you suggested Abfer?I do believe they need some kind of relief of some kind in they of wage freezes or posibily a small H&W contribution but leave our pensions alone!I too what to see this company succeed now and way into the future.Another five year contract would put me at Thirty four contributory years and Thirty seven as a Teamster!But this isn't just about me.It's about all our brothers and sisters behind us and their future as Teamsters.Where would we be If our fore fathers before said screw everyone else it's all about me!Were all supposed to be equal that's what being a Teamster is all about!Ok I'll get off my soap box for now cause it's time to go to work and peddle some freight.Have a good day my brothers and sisters!
 
A simple answer to the question is a 5 year deal for me. If the terms are right. The things i've been reading that ABF is asking for are really troublesome. I would like to think that our contract will set the new standard and the union leadership (How's that for a misnomer), will have time to bring YRC and maybe ups freight up to us. Is that just wishful thinking ??
 
Stoney said:
The question is there anyplace we can give? I say yes. But all I see from most here is "no" to anything.

But why do you have union brothers calling ABF greedy? That kind of Drama Queen doesn't help.

I'm all for pension reform, and 401ks for new hires. A pay freeze for a whole contract and changes in work rules.
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Thanks for answering my question. I would consider a pay freeze. The work rule changes would be a tough one,I would have to see what they wanted..Remember there are different classifications, You are linehaul,then there is breakbulk,and eol terminals. What rules might not affect you ,may put a dockworker out of work or take a p&d driver from a 5 day paycheck to a 3 day paycheck. .... 401k's are popular ,that would help them on new hires. The greedy part is because they went and bought a company, gave the ceo a raise then started sending out postcards saying how much the company has lost over the past few years.
 
im thinking that the work rules are the big one for the company. they are constantly complaining about how their hands are tied, blah blah blah....consider just one change they would like to see such as eliminating "head haul' between the DCs. that way there would be no more "this is a winston driver, we have to send him back home, or this is a carlisle driver we cant send them to...fill in the blank". I was mocked a few months ago when I said in a previous post that the company wants nothing more than one big xtra board with central doing the dispatch where drivers are sent out for days or weeks at a time to go where the freight is and eliminate driver jobs that way. Of course there will be SOME bid runs, but only to the very top men and probably no more time start bids. I was told Im crazy that abf would NEVER do something like that. Im thinking that this scenario doesnt seem so far fetched now, does it?
 
We haven't talked about the use of UE drivers and how much money saved and the flexibility afforded ABF.
Many EOL terminals hired new drivers to fill these positions, this savings adds up in a hurry !
UE runs are short so the driver has time to get back and work the trailers they brought and or any other freight at our terminal , they also send UE drivers out on peddle runs while pushing 10% start time back or leaving 10% sit home,
UE has also cut OT with later starts for drivers who used to come in and break inbound freight.
this is just the tip of the iceberg, they have gotten a taste of the flexibility of the UE and now they want MORE !
 
ABF'N said:
We haven't talked about the use of UE drivers and how much money saved and the flexibility afforded ABF.
Many EOL terminals hired new drivers to fill these positions, this savings adds up in a hurry !
UE runs are short so the driver has time to get back and work the trailers they brought and or any other freight at our terminal , they also send UE drivers out on peddle runs while pushing 10% start time back or leaving 10% sit home,
UE has also cut OT with later starts for drivers who used to come in and break inbound freight.
this is just the tip of the iceberg, they have gotten a taste of the flexibility of the UE and now they want MORE !
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Welcome to the next day market! Every non union ltl Does this! You wanna compete and see ABF thrive? Hope yal do what's nessesary to be a strong competitor.
 
ABFer said:
Is the company preaching pension reform? With the unfunded liability being what it is I think the company is not looking to get out.

What, may I ask, is wrong with a 3 year deal, the way it used to be (I know you want to get out in four and have peace of mind in the meantime).

As much as I hate to see and say it I see some meestering going on here, 401K for new drivers, 5 year deal because I'm out in 4 etc. Maybe I'll jump right on that bandwagon and join in...How 'bout we turn ALL road jobs into utility jobs and those guys can start at aaa say 4 PM, come to my terminal, break their set, load their outbound freight and go back home with it to finish out their 10 hr day. Let's make them all 4 tens to eliminate or minimize OT. Then let's freeze vacation accrual at 3 weeks for those who aren't at 3 only, the rest of us can keep what we have, will save the company gobs in the future, especially as us elderlies hit the retirement trail. I also believe that the more time we have with the company the more we should make and they should start with the newbies receiving no raise for five years and the rest of us get raises based on seniority, the more years we have the bigger our raises, this can continue for five years as well and after those five years we can all get percentage based raises, which will give more to the drivers with more tenure as it's a percentage of a higher number. I believe that if we go with this it would make the company happy, make me happy and we could all flourish in the future.
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Hah!...Brother ABFer....I think you're right about the "meestering"..And I know you're right about the unfunded liability, and the Pension Reform Act of 2006. Way too expensive to exit Funds that are in trouble. Maybe a 3 year deal might be best. If we get a reasonably good contract, I'd think 3 years would be the limit. Not sure about YRC and dissolving the NMFA. ABF management and sales is in competition with YRC management and sales......us Teamsters aren't supposed to be in competition with each other.....but I guess our management wants to "enlist" us in the freight wars. ABF has wanted a separate contract for the last 5 or 6 years, now......I guess they're finally getting what they proposed to do last contract negotiation time. I still think "NO CONCESSIONS". When the company says we have the highest cost structure and pay and pension costs, it's because everyone else gave away or negotiated....or, in the case of the non-Unions.....accepted..cheaper wages and cut-rate pensions. The entire industries' labor costs used to be predicated on the NMFA...the labor costs set the benchmark for freight rates. Now that everyone else is giving up their labor rates and wages are dropping, are freight rates dropping? Maybe, in some instances...but I don't see across-the-board freight rates cut like I'm seeing across-the-board wage and pension cuts proposed. Do you think that will happen, or do you think we'll cut our wages and the company will reap a little bit of a "windfall", because they won't be in that big of a hurry to cut all their freight rates?
 
canaryinthemine said:
Hah!...Brother ABFer....I think you're right about the "meestering"..And I know you're right about the unfunded liability, and the Pension Reform Act of 2006. Way too expensive to exit Funds that are in trouble. Maybe a 3 year deal might be best. If we get a reasonably good contract, I'd think 3 years would be the limit. Not sure about YRC and dissolving the NMFA. ABF management and sales is in competition with YRC management and sales......us Teamsters aren't supposed to be in competition with each other.....but I guess our management wants to "enlist" us in the freight wars. ABF has wanted a separate contract for the last 5 or 6 years, now......I guess they're finally getting what they proposed to do last contract negotiation time. I still think "NO CONCESSIONS". When the company says we have the highest cost structure and pay and pension costs, it's because everyone else gave away or negotiated....or, in the case of the non-Unions.....accepted..cheaper wages and cut-rate pensions. The entire industries' labor costs used to be predicated on the NMFA...the labor costs set the benchmark for freight rates. Now that everyone else is giving up their labor rates and wages are dropping, are freight rates dropping? Maybe, in some instances...but I don't see across-the-board freight rates cut like I'm seeing across-the-board wage and pension cuts proposed. Do you think that will happen, or do you think we'll cut our wages and the company will reap a little bit of a "windfall", because they won't be in that big of a hurry to cut all their freight rates?
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In the short run I would expect a little of each, lower rates and better profits but in the long run it would feed into our race to the bottom where our non-union competitors would lower their rates to get us right back to where we are right now.
 
Teamster from YRC Freight here.Dont be concerned about us over here at YRC.Concentrate on the task at hand and hammer out a good contract.This is for you and nobody else.Dont lose your focus by comparing and or not aligning your contract with us.Dont go blindly nor be distracted.Hopefully our Union will do the same.I will tell you this.That even though YRC Freight claims to be a pauper.YRC still is second to FedEx freight in the freight market.Despite what may look like huge debt by YRC Freight.Dont let that fool you.Revenues are up there second to FedEx freight.God Bless
 
ABF'N said:
We haven't talked about the use of UE drivers and how much money saved and the flexibility afforded ABF.
Many EOL terminals hired new drivers to fill these positions, this savings adds up in a hurry !
UE runs are short so the driver has time to get back and work the trailers they brought and or any other freight at our terminal , they also send UE drivers out on peddle runs while pushing 10% start time back or leaving 10% sit home,
UE has also cut OT with later starts for drivers who used to come in and break inbound freight.
this is just the tip of the iceberg, they have gotten a taste of the flexibility of the UE and now they want MORE !
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Wow !!! I forgot about the UE factor. Our guy gets back, unloads his trailer, then loads peddle trailers before going home. On busy days he gets two -three hours o/t. The call board is pushed back. Good post !!!
 
bad slavin said:
Wow !!! I forgot about the UE factor. Our guy gets back, unloads his trailer, then loads peddle trailers before going home. On busy days he gets two -three hours o/t. The call board is pushed back. Good post !!!
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Would you be talking about our EU driver/ dockworker /dock supervisor/mechanic/snow plower would you????
 
GO40 said:
Would you be talking about our EU driver/ dockworker /dock supervisor/mechanic/snow plower would you????
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Wait a minute!!! Are saying that my dockworker /dock supervisor/mechanic/snow plower has a sibling up there?
 
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