ABF | leave of absence

sandmanadream

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Only working 1 or 2 days a week and wanting to take a 6 month leave of absence . Anybody know if I can do this or does it have to be FMLA? Just got off a 11 month layoff and cant afford 2 day paycheck and they call me monday and friday so I have to be available all week. Any advise would help, manger wont lay me off and losing faith in this job Thanks Sandman!
 
Call your union hall and have them force them to lay you off. There is a 40 hour guaranteed pay a week but I don’t know if 10%ers quality for that. I’m not a city guy but I know they have standards to meet or they have to lay you off.
 
Only working 1 or 2 days a week and wanting to take a 6 month leave of absence . Anybody know if I can do this or does it have to be FMLA? Just got off a 11 month layoff and cant afford 2 day paycheck and they call me monday and friday so I have to be available all week. Any advise would help, manger wont lay me off and losing faith in this job Thanks Sandman!
Yeah that part really sucks. I don't know if you will have much luck with getting a leave of absence. Unless you want to get a drug or alcohol problem real quick and go to rehab for it. Or get hired as a BA. plus a couple of other things I cant remember right now. And fmla is only good for 12 weeks in a year. At the bottom you are really at their mercy. Only Advice I can give is hang on as long as you can and move on when you cant. Just coming off an11 month layoff and now only working two days Id say you have hung on quite a while already. Where are you at? We are really busy.

And like SAC75 said check with the hall. There might be something they can do. Here 10 percent aren't guaranteed anything.
 
Yeah that part really sucks. I don't know if you will have much luck with getting a leave of absence. Unless you want to get a drug or alcohol problem real quick and go to rehab for it. Or get hired as a BA. plus a couple of other things I cant remember right now. And fmla is only good for 12 weeks in a year. At the bottom you are really at their mercy. Only Advice I can give is hang on as long as you can and move on when you cant. Just coming off an11 month layoff and now only working two days Id say you have hung on quite a while already. Where are you at? We are really busy.

And like SAC75 said check with the hall. There might be something they can do. Here 10 percent aren't guaranteed anything.
Unassigned and non Guaranteed number 2 bottom man on a 19 man barn but the cartage is getting freight everyday but think its ok because they choose not to deliver hand freight and union rep does nothing
 
Only working 1 or 2 days a week and wanting to take a 6 month leave of absence . Anybody know if I can do this or does it have to be FMLA? Just got off a 11 month layoff and cant afford 2 day paycheck and they call me monday and friday so I have to be available all week. Any advise would help, manger wont lay me off and losing faith in this job Thanks Sandman!
Not sure what state you live in, but you may be able to file for unemployment under the ‘lack of work’ provision. Hang in there, brother!
 
Unassigned and non Guaranteed number 2 bottom man on a 19 man barn but the cartage is getting freight everyday but think its ok because they choose not to deliver hand freight and union rep does nothing


Of course he won't lay you off.....He gets to use and abuse you, regardless of your financial situation. The Ol' management standby..."If you don't like it,...leave.."

Most supplements have a guarantee of 40 hours for a percentage of the seniority board. usually, it's 85%. 85% of 19 guys is 16 on the guarantee.

Now,....If you suspect that the guys on the seniority guarantee are exceeding the Overtime Provisions in Article 5, Sec. 6,....you can file a grievance....on a WEEKLY basis....about having been recalled off of layoff by subterfuge,....and that they are not managing the overtime hours properly to give you full work opportunity.

Roughly,....if anyone is getting more than 2 hours overtime a day,.......then they have to recall a man from layoff. There is a formula in Art. 5, Sec.6 that takes the cumulative hours of overtime and divides it by the seniority board to come up with the total for recall to steady work.

Our supplement has language that says if a guy does not work in a 7 day period,....then he can elect to go on layoff,....and remain so until the company can offer him a week's work.....thereby protecting his seniority. Company can use casuals on a daily basis as long as they don't get more than 4 day's work. Don't know if your supplement has a similar provision.

Did they offer you a week's work to get you off of layoff? Was it someone going on vacation for a week that you've filled in for? You can make a grieveable point that you merely filled in one week,...and that you should have been returned to Layoff status,....as there was no SUSTAINABLE work to justify your recall.

If any of the local cartage work has been created since your layoff,....you may have a grievance under Subcontracting. This would take the steward and the B.A. requesting company records to see if any "existing work" was subcontracted out to local cartage after you were laid off.

Here in our area,....the company made a decision not to deliver Relo-Cubes in our coverage area. They have the right to make such business decisions. But,....the Labor man agreed with me when I told him that if I ever see a Relo-Cube within the 4 county area we service,...then it would be a massive Subcontracting/Subterfuge grievance.

Up until last contract,...they could not give away "existing" local cartage work..........Now,...apparently,...they can, under certain circumstances.......(...Thanks, Ernie!...).....
 
Unassigned and non Guaranteed number 2 bottom man on a 19 man barn but the cartage is getting freight everyday but think its ok because they choose not to deliver hand freight and union rep does nothing




Oh,.....and once again,........as a steward,....I fought tooth'n'nail to keep guys from complaining and refusing to do "hand" deliveries and residential deliveries.......

This industry is changing,......and the carrier that does the Hand and Home deliveries the best,.....is the one that will survive.
Being a Union carrier allows the employees to set up the rules and parameters,...to protect both the employees and the customers.
The non-Union carriers philosophy about Hand and home deliveries is: " Go and do it...".....right up to the time you damage some customer's home, and they fire you for "unsafe work practices"....

NEVER refuse ANY sort of work,.....We're paid by the hour, and we can apply Union safety parameters .....WITHOUT company repercussion.....to any assigned job......

We SHOULD be the BEST,.......at hand, home, U-Pack,.and Relo-Cube , "White-Glove",....and "turnkey" deliveries.........

As I said,.....in our area , we lost the Relo-Cube work,...because a certain percentage of our guys regarded it as..."too much work"......and "not safe"......

The company agreed with them,.......and pulled out trailer out,...and now probably subcontracts Estes or some other low-ball bidder, to U-Pack out what used to be sold as a Relo-Cube. The two terminals to the east and west of us have retained their Relo-Cube business.......We lost enough work to cause our seniority board to be cut......

Guys in the middle of the board who did the complaining didn't care.........Wasn't them who got laid off,.......And they never have to load a Relo-Cube for the rest of their life,.....

This is NOT what a UNION is about.........

NEVER complain about ANY sort of work.........As steward, I took many Relo-Cube, U-Pack , and home deliveries,.......JUST to prove they can be done safely, and with skill.....Never lost a dime in wages......even if I had to spend an extra half-hour doing the job properly.....

This ain't the military,.....Seniority is NOT rank..........The top of the board pays the same Union dues as the bottom of the board.....LOOK OUT for your Brother,...instead of LOOKING DOWN on your Brother.......

You may need him on a picket line someday............
 
i was once told, " we dont offer part time work". this company, contract needs to be addressed to help with actual issues like this. we use outside companies when guys cant get 40 hrs. regardless of how, whens..who would vote for that, even if its 1 guy at a small barn.
 
Oh,.....and once again,........as a steward,....I fought tooth'n'nail to keep guys from complaining and refusing to do "hand" deliveries and residential deliveries.......

This industry is changing,......and the carrier that does the Hand and Home deliveries the best,.....is the one that will survive.
Being a Union carrier allows the employees to set up the rules and parameters,...to protect both the employees and the customers.
The non-Union carriers philosophy about Hand and home deliveries is: " Go and do it...".....right up to the time you damage some customer's home, and they fire you for "unsafe work practices"....

NEVER refuse ANY sort of work,.....We're paid by the hour, and we can apply Union safety parameters .....WITHOUT company repercussion.....to any assigned job......

We SHOULD be the BEST,.......at hand, home, U-Pack,.and Relo-Cube , "White-Glove",....and "turnkey" deliveries.........

As I said,.....in our area , we lost the Relo-Cube work,...because a certain percentage of our guys regarded it as..."too much work"......and "not safe"......

The company agreed with them,.......and pulled out trailer out,...and now probably subcontracts Estes or some other low-ball bidder, to U-Pack out what used to be sold as a Relo-Cube. The two terminals to the east and west of us have retained their Relo-Cube business.......We lost enough work to cause our seniority board to be cut......

Guys in the middle of the board who did the complaining didn't care.........Wasn't them who got laid off,.......And they never have to load a Relo-Cube for the rest of their life,.....

This is NOT what a UNION is about.........

NEVER complain about ANY sort of work.........As steward, I took many Relo-Cube, U-Pack , and home deliveries,.......JUST to prove they can be done safely, and with skill.....Never lost a dime in wages......even if I had to spend an extra half-hour doing the job properly.....

This ain't the military,.....Seniority is NOT rank..........The top of the board pays the same Union dues as the bottom of the board.....LOOK OUT for your Brother,...instead of LOOKING DOWN on your Brother.......

You may need him on a picket line someday............

You make excellent points here Canary. In my over 45+ years in the industry I have many times felt that we (Teamsters) are our own worst enemy.
 
You make excellent points here Canary. In my over 45+ years in the industry I have many times felt that we (Teamsters) are our own worst enemy.


It's a Shame, isn't it?......This is the Intelligent Choice,...a Union job with protection, benefits,...and a voice at work without worrying about Employment-At-Will firing because you questioned some pencil-neck low-level dispatcher's competency.......

So we should act like we're the Intelligent ones.........The best ones for the job,.......Can handle anything, deliver anything, do anything.......Most experienced and most competent......

Instead we have the "Pogo" Principle..........."We Have Met The Enemy,...And He Is Us..."........
 
Oh,.....and once again,........as a steward,....I fought tooth'n'nail to keep guys from complaining and refusing to do "hand" deliveries and residential deliveries.......

This industry is changing,......and the carrier that does the Hand and Home deliveries the best,.....is the one that will survive.
Being a Union carrier allows the employees to set up the rules and parameters,...to protect both the employees and the customers.
The non-Union carriers philosophy about Hand and home deliveries is: " Go and do it...".....right up to the time you damage some customer's home, and they fire you for "unsafe work practices"....

NEVER refuse ANY sort of work,.....We're paid by the hour, and we can apply Union safety parameters .....WITHOUT company repercussion.....to any assigned job......

We SHOULD be the BEST,.......at hand, home, U-Pack,.and Relo-Cube , "White-Glove",....and "turnkey" deliveries.........

As I said,.....in our area , we lost the Relo-Cube work,...because a certain percentage of our guys regarded it as..."too much work"......and "not safe"......

The company agreed with them,.......and pulled out trailer out,...and now probably subcontracts Estes or some other low-ball bidder, to U-Pack out what used to be sold as a Relo-Cube. The two terminals to the east and west of us have retained their Relo-Cube business.......We lost enough work to cause our seniority board to be cut......

Guys in the middle of the board who did the complaining didn't care.........Wasn't them who got laid off,.......And they never have to load a Relo-Cube for the rest of their life,.....

This is NOT what a UNION is about.........

NEVER complain about ANY sort of work.........As steward, I took many Relo-Cube, U-Pack , and home deliveries,.......JUST to prove they can be done safely, and with skill.....Never lost a dime in wages......even if I had to spend an extra half-hour doing the job properly.....

This ain't the military,.....Seniority is NOT rank..........The top of the board pays the same Union dues as the bottom of the board.....LOOK OUT for your Brother,...instead of LOOKING DOWN on your Brother.......

You may need him on a picket line someday............

Well said, but something that needed to be said. I did a lot of u-packs on second shift. Some were hard some not. My biggest gripe was finding 2 pieces of bulkhead that matched & didn't have any damage to the hardware. Once ya found that & a ramp, it was smooth sailing. Between my 7inch Garmin & a cell phone it went pretty smooth. von.
 
Oh,.....and once again,........as a steward,....I fought tooth'n'nail to keep guys from complaining and refusing to do "hand" deliveries and residential deliveries.......

This industry is changing,......and the carrier that does the Hand and Home deliveries the best,.....is the one that will survive.
Being a Union carrier allows the employees to set up the rules and parameters,...to protect both the employees and the customers.
The non-Union carriers philosophy about Hand and home deliveries is: " Go and do it...".....right up to the time you damage some customer's home, and they fire you for "unsafe work practices"....

NEVER refuse ANY sort of work,.....We're paid by the hour, and we can apply Union safety parameters .....WITHOUT company repercussion.....to any assigned job......

We SHOULD be the BEST,.......at hand, home, U-Pack,.and Relo-Cube , "White-Glove",....and "turnkey" deliveries.........

As I said,.....in our area , we lost the Relo-Cube work,...because a certain percentage of our guys regarded it as..."too much work"......and "not safe"......

The company agreed with them,.......and pulled out trailer out,...and now probably subcontracts Estes or some other low-ball bidder, to U-Pack out what used to be sold as a Relo-Cube. The two terminals to the east and west of us have retained their Relo-Cube business.......We lost enough work to cause our seniority board to be cut......

Guys in the middle of the board who did the complaining didn't care.........Wasn't them who got laid off,.......And they never have to load a Relo-Cube for the rest of their life,.....

This is NOT what a UNION is about.........

NEVER complain about ANY sort of work.........As steward, I took many Relo-Cube, U-Pack , and home deliveries,.......JUST to prove they can be done safely, and with skill.....Never lost a dime in wages......even if I had to spend an extra half-hour doing the job properly.....

This ain't the military,.....Seniority is NOT rank..........The top of the board pays the same Union dues as the bottom of the board.....LOOK OUT for your Brother,...instead of LOOKING DOWN on your Brother.......

You may need him on a picket line someday............
Great points all!! I can honestly say it would’ve been a pleasure to work at your terminal. You took your Shop Steward responsibilities seriously, which is much more than I can say for the idiot we had at my terminal. In fact, he was anything BUT a Shop Steward. Never went to the monthly meetings, never went to any Steward functions, and in my years there, NEVER EVER advanced ONE SINGLE grievance. He actually ‘discouraged’ advancing grievances. Clearly, he was in it for the title only.
 
Great points all!! I can honestly say it would’ve been a pleasure to work at your terminal. You took your Shop Steward responsibilities seriously, which is much more than I can say for the idiot we had at my terminal. In fact, he was anything BUT a Shop Steward. Never went to the monthly meetings, never went to any Steward functions, and in my years there, NEVER EVER advanced ONE SINGLE grievance. He actually ‘discouraged’ advancing grievances. Clearly, he was in it for the title only.

This is not a suggestion, just telling you how we once handled a similar situation.
Two drivers stopped by his motel room in Jax. he was told, resign when you get back to Charl. or look for
an azz whipping, that was his last day as steward.
 
Great points all!! I can honestly say it would’ve been a pleasure to work at your terminal. You took your Shop Steward responsibilities seriously, which is much more than I can say for the idiot we had at my terminal. In fact, he was anything BUT a Shop Steward. Never went to the monthly meetings, never went to any Steward functions, and in my years there, NEVER EVER advanced ONE SINGLE grievance. He actually ‘discouraged’ advancing grievances. Clearly, he was in it for the title only.


For the.....Title? Good Grief! Did your Local award him a...crown?.....or pay his dues and car payment?.....Did he get to wear a football jersey with "STEWARD" written on it in block letters?

Title? Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines "steward" as someone in charge of food distribution on public transportation,........or someone designated to manage the affairs of groups of employees......

Your steward must've seen the first definition, and believed he was supposed to dish out the company gruel,.....deliver portions of crow to eat,.......and pour out the company Kool-Aid.......

Steward is not a popularity contest.....Ain't supposed to be.....But, like I've told many guys, ..."I like you,...I like the Union President, and the B.A........I even like the TM,...on occasion.........But I like the Teamsters and Freedom of Speech even more than all of you".......

To strut around wearing the title "Steward" like a Third-World dictator wears sunglasses, epaulettes, and a big , fancy hat.....is mere ego boosting....mainly for a fragile ego.
 
This is not a suggestion, just telling you how we once handled a similar situation.
Two drivers stopped by his motel room in Jax. he was told, resign when you get back to Charl. or look for
an azz whipping, that was his last day as steward.


Hah!....Effective......

But!....If he truly believed in the job he was doing as a steward,.........he would've taken his beating,.....and not quit.....

The fact that he quit is proof enough that he didn't have the spine to stand up for what he believed,...or stand up to the company...

I'm no muscle-bound He-Man,.......but if I believe something,...I'm going to latch on to my belief like a bulldog holding onto the back leg of a Great Dane....

When the company found out I wouldn't back down even when threatened with firing for promoting work stoppages.......the "bluster" level kind of dropped.....
 
For the.....Title? Good Grief! Did your Local award him a...crown?.....or pay his dues and car payment?.....Did he get to wear a football jersey with "STEWARD" written on it in block letters?

Title? Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines "steward" as someone in charge of food distribution on public transportation,........or someone designated to manage the affairs of groups of employees......

Your steward must've seen the first definition, and believed he was supposed to dish out the company gruel,.....deliver portions of crow to eat,.......and pour out the company Kool-Aid.......

Steward is not a popularity contest.....Ain't supposed to be.....But, like I've told many guys, ..."I like you,...I like the Union President, and the B.A........I even like the TM,...on occasion.........But I like the Teamsters and , all for meFreedom of Speech even more than all of you".......

To strut around wearing the title "Steward" like a Third-World dictator wears sunglasses, epaulettes, and a big , fancy hat.....is mere ego boosting....mainly for a fragile ego.

You are 100% correct, his was an ego ride, all for me,me, me.
I think, he made the Kool-Aid.
 
This is not a suggestion, just telling you how we once handled a similar situation.
Two drivers stopped by his motel room in Jax. he was told, resign when you get back to Charl. or look for
an azz whipping, that was his last day as steward.
Thanks, seabreeze! You think like I do!
 
Ahh yes the "good old days" when you took your stuff out behind the dumpster and no body saw a thing, now saying that I'm sure somebody will come along and say YEP those Teamsters always with the fighting stuff,
 
It ain't politically correct,.........but it sure is an ancient way to...clear the air,...so to speak.....

Can't do it nowadays, though.........Every 110 lb. snotty wise-a** has his "courage" strapped to his hip, and if you argue with these type of...."men".....they are more than willing to unholster their Manhood....

Whether they have the.........testicles....to actually shoot, remains a moot point. I fear a shaking, tearful, angry little man with his finger on the trigger....than I do a mugger with deliberate aim.

Look at that guy in Florida(?) who shot the guy that pushed him,...because he was being a Big Man yelling at the guy's girlfriend for parking where she wanted.

Yell at my wife, and I'll push you, too. We all will......but the Big Man had a gun,.....and I bet he regrets being the Parking Lot Monitor that day.......

Now, behind the Dumpster,...shots will ring out. Instead of settling it like Men,.......they settle it like gang members on a vendetta.....
 
I own guns, by the way. I go hunting or to target practice. I do not have a concealed carry permit. I do not have a need to go out in public armed.

Preemptive,...before someone goes all political on me here......
 
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