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ABF | Postcard

bad slavin

bad slavin

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Just got my postcard in the mail.It says to learn more about ABF's need for flexibility,visit Login | Keep on Truckin, so i went onto the website, but i could not find anything more about what needs they are looking for. Did anyone else find out what they are talking about? Am i not looking in the right places ?
 
Sorry Bad slavin I can't help you. I don't pay any attention to the propaganda.
 
Stoney said:
Have you seen a proposal to vote on?
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Not yet, only whats been posted from the teamsters, and the company, At this point It only politics, and until I see the official contract proposal I will not expect much, but hope for the best.
 
papajohn said:
Not yet, only whats been posted from the teamsters, and the company, At this point It only politics, and until I see the official contract proposal I will not expect much, but hope for the best.
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So how do you know your vote won't change?
 
bad slavin said:
Just got my postcard in the mail.It says to learn more about ABF's need for flexibility,visit Login | Keep on Truckin, so i went onto the website, but i could not find anything more about what needs they are looking for. Did anyone else find out what they are talking about? Am i not looking in the right places ?
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I posted that very question on abfatwork and got a reply which is posted below:

The purpose of the postcard was to illustrate in a very simple manner, that our competitors follow procedures that are efficient and contain fewer steps or involve fewer people to complete. Here are a few examples of current procedures that slow down our processes and add cost and time unnecessarily: • In some cities, dock workers are not allowed to drive in the yard or the city • In some cities, city drivers cannot perform dock work • In many instances, road drivers must be paid to wait while a city employee performs a simple drop and hook • A road driver may be delayed while waiting for a yard employee to flip a placard There are numerous examples where, because of our work rules where one employee has “rights” to a given procedure, we must involve more people or time than necessary to perform a function. The purpose of the mailer was not to ask you to agree to a proposal you haven’t seen, but rather to illustrate the issue. When a tentative agreement is reached, you will be able to review the agreement before casting your ballot.

So, this means to me that they pretty much want this: if something needs done they want to ask whoever is standing there to do it. There are some places where such things are strictly verboten. now this can be taken to the extreme, such as putting everyone on call and bringing you in to work the dock for a few hours then going out to make a turn or two. Or giving you a turn that takes 8 or 9 hours to make and when you get back instead of going home putting you to the dock to strip freight. This however can be done now in some regions but its not used in the DCs as of yet as far as I know. that makes for a long day. Plus I believe this means that they would want to rid themselves of "headhaul rights" which you road drivers here know what thats about. Im sure they would like to get rid of that. for example, NLima has the headhaul into 042. if 042 has loads for SCH, a lima driver has to come there and get them and take them to Lima if they are available. 042 cant give those loads to one of their drivers and run them to dayton, or to n lima if there is a Lima driver available or its a runaround for a n lima driver. Im pretty sure this is how that works in that instance but if Im wrong someone can correct me. Headhaul gets complicated and I dont understand all of it even though Ive been here over 20 years...
 
I agree with Foxman042 . They will take it to the extreme ! They are already doing it , its called UE driver , at my barn when the UE is done with the road runs they do all the yard work then all the inbound dock work and if the TM see's fit he sends them out on the street ! Many times at the expense of our 10% ers , either starting the 10% later or leaving them sit home , a grievance has been filed but has been postponed by the company and has not been heard.
According to Gorden Sweeton the company hasn't backed down from a single one of the cherry picked work rules they are proposing , sounds like they are confident we wont be holding them to the March 31 deadline !!!!!!!!!
 
As a guest on your board, ABF has done a pretty good job since deregulation surviving this cut throat market. Why wouldn't you want to change these silly rules in order to survive even longer with the same benefits and the potential to grow and make even more money? Having trouble understanding why some of you drivers are just stagnet in old school mentality. Good luck
 
the problem with that is they dont want to give the same benefits either. thats the big thing...plus most guys want to at least have some kind of idea when they are coming to work and when they are going home. Plus this: the contract stuff here is way out of our hands. we will see though what happens. if they want to change some work rules, fine. lets see what they want and see if one can live with it.
 
papajohn said:
Stoney Tell you what can change my mind and vote, give us a good contract, one that we both can live with, and will be fair, and take care of ABF employees
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Stone the sock puppet already has his vote in mind and it wont change either
 
ABF'N said:
I agree with Foxman042 . They will take it to the extreme ! They are already doing it , its called UE driver , at my barn when the UE is done with the road runs they do all the yard work then all the inbound dock work and if the TM see's fit he sends them out on the street ! Many times at the expense of our 10% ers , either starting the 10% later or leaving them sit home , a grievance has been filed but has been postponed by the company and has not been heard.
According to Gorden Sweeton the company hasn't backed down from a single one of the cherry picked work rules they are proposing , sounds like they are confident we wont be holding them to the March 31 deadline !!!!!!!!!
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And that UE guy got paid....handsomely......I may add for all the WORK he performed. Guys we're going to have to work for a living somewhere, so I'd rather do it where I bring home a fat check. Low man gets the leftovers, that's just the way it is on a Union job, I was at the top before, now I'm at the bottom again, by choice. Sometimes I'm UE, sometimes I'm the last man in the city. I make more on UE, but I have to work a little harder, oh well, when I applied here I applied to WORK! I'm Union to the bone, but I have no tolerance for whining. WE grow this company and no one will be laid off very often..but you will have to WORK when you come here.....just saying.
 
I was perusing our in/out sheet recently, it was about half full. Out of whatever the number is at half full there were only two 'B's' in column #4. I'd say they're already half way to the changes/flexibility that they need.
 
What it really means is they want to cut out relay runs and run the freight direct with team drivers just like Conway,FedEx,and Estes does with their outside carriers they use.That's why they bought Panther.Bottom line is to save money at the cost of line haul jobs.The single biggest cost hands down is the road operation. Always was and always will be!So if they could get a couple of bozos to run from Carlisle to Chicago or Dallas to Dayton driving their own truck just image how much money they could save! IMO that's what they mean by flexibility and what that poster was illiustrating.
 
Rollin62 said:
As a guest on your board, ABF has done a pretty good job since deregulation surviving this cut throat market. Why wouldn't you want to change these silly rules in order to survive even longer with the same benefits and the potential to grow and make even more money? Having trouble understanding why some of you drivers are just stagnet in old school mentality. Good luck
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The old school was ,everybody got to work in his or her job class,worked around 8to10 hrs. and got to have a life outside of work, say with their family or other activities. Now it's work every job class ,work as long as we tell you to and if you don't like it, quit. case in point...in- law worked at conway, had 10 hrs. on the clock, (8hrs. straight time,2hrs. o/t) at 10 hrs. was told he had to hook a set and run the road (quick turn-drop and hook) when he questioned the supervisor, he said "you still have hours to run" problem is he went from o/t to road status, different pay scale,and worked a 14 hr. day.....This company wants to change "the silly rules" and the benefits on the backs of the workers.. they will make more money and have more power to sh&t on the very people that make them all the profits.
 
bad slavin said:
The old school was ,everybody got to work in his or her job class,worked around 8to10 hrs. and got to have a life outside of work, say with their family or other activities. Now it's work every job class ,work as long as we tell you to and if you don't like it, quit. case in point...in- law worked at conway, had 10 hrs. on the clock, (8hrs. straight time,2hrs. o/t) at 10 hrs. was told he had to hook a set and run the road (quick turn-drop and hook) when he questioned the supervisor, he said "you still have hours to run" problem is he went from o/t to road status, different pay scale,and worked a 14 hr. day.....This company wants to change "the silly rules" and the benefits on the backs of the workers.. they will make more money and have more power to sh&t on the very people that make them all the profits.
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Bingo. You said it all on changing the silly work rules. They want us to drive, work the dock, & drive again. Fine, just as long as they pay you over time after the 8th hour. Of course they will never to agree with that.
 
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