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The Southern Region Teamster Pension Plan is funded by those who are Officers & Staff at Southern Region Teamster Locals since 2003. They put $3,600 a year from THEIR wages into the Plan.
Thrown Under The Bus Again
- Thread starter Lincoln Highway
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Roadway spy
Banned
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Bull crap Teamsters are a Joke will never organize another trucking company.
Delta Dude
TB Lurker
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Your right, cause all the non-union company's have a copy of the national labor agreement's and they use them to handle their rules for their company's. When I was still working I got along with all the non's, and they used to tell me how thing's we're handled and I could show them the article in my contract that applied to there situation. Everyone thinks that seniority is labor law, it's not. It's part of the labor agreement, not labor law, they can't believe it when I show it to them. Let the National freight agreement's disappear and you will see all hell break loose. The non's will truly find out what an at will employee truly is. The non's have been riding on the shirt-tales of the union companies for years.
Butch Lewis or not, I still do not understand why the most recent contract that was ratified by Yellow and Holland had no provisions for payments to the Central States Pension Fund. I retired in 2017 from Holland. And we are still talking about the possible collapse of the fund. No one can explain to me why there was no return to 100% funding of the Pension Fund. Number one, those of us that worked for over 30 years as Teamsters that were covered by contributions to Central States now have to be concerned whether our pension will be there while we are alive. Second, the employees that ratified the last contract that did not allow for 100 percent contributions are able to retire with the same pension I retired at. When I talk to current members that are working they act like those of us that have been retired are not important, yet they act like they should receive a full pension. I can not believe the Teamsters would allow a contract without pension funding to be ratified, plus current employees that did ratify said contract feel entitled to a full pension. If it wasn't for those of us that recently retired in the past 5 years, current employees wouldn't have any pension at all.
Razorblade
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There is a limited amount of money.
Fully funding pensions means taking away something else. Wages cannot be cut any further. Will the membership vote for a deal that cuts healthcare? Are the rank and file ready for co-pays and deductibles? Will they ratify a contract that takes $100.00 a week from their pay for insurance premiums?
What would you cut to get 100% funding of pensions?
gone for good
TB Lurker
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My friend the reason why nonunion carriers or so successful is because they figured it out they can treat their people well and make a great living or they can bump heads every day of the week which one do you think they chose also at will employers like 0D they can fire you for the color of your hair so with you or without a union carrier ever existing again will never change because people love money and they will do whatever it takes to keep making that money lThis is not a slap at the union or not not endorsement for the union it just the facts of life my friend in 2021
maybe he'll crash land on mars and won't be rescued
Well if we all come into the 21st century, you would realize that the days of free health care are long gone. So you are telling me that you wouldn't contribute $100 to your healthcare in exchange for a fully funded pension? Good thing you are a truck driver because it doesn't sound like you are smart enough to do anything else. No cost insurance is great, I had it for over 30 years. But times have changed, companies don't do that anymore. You have to look forward to retirement. And a 25% contribution is not gonna help you. What I am complaining about is the fact that I worked as a Teamster for over 30 years and was promised my pension per the contracts that we voted for. And now you new guys are so short sided, that you don't care about our pensions or your own for that matter.
Butch Lewis was passed and sometime in the next year or so Central States will get funding....I understand you being worried about your fund, but it is going to get done, because I think you know by now that the government is slow on a lot of things...as far as blaming current members I just don't understand that....you worked under the same 25% funding that is in place now from 2010 to when you retired in 2017...while a 25% pension sucks, people do have a choice to go somewhere else...I did in 2011 when I guessed it wasn't going to ever be restored, as did many others...
Steward of the Rock
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If the option to pay $100 weekly for health insurance in exchange for full contribution rate into the pension fund was offered, I am sure most of the HNRY employees would be more than happy to do so. Unfortunately, the full contribution rate to the pension fund is $342 weekly. Current full contribution rates for Pension and Health&Welfare is just under $800 weekly. If I am not mistaken, the rate for HNRY companies currently being paid in weekly for both total just over $500 weekly. My point is, to get to full contribution rate on the pension by taking away from the current Health&Welfare contribution would take closer to the $225 to $250 range weekly. While I completely agree that you guys deserve your full pension rate, paying $100 per week for Health&Welfare and bumping up the contribution rate by $100 per week to the pension fund will not get it up to full rate. In my opinion, Zollars and the federal government (deregulation) should be held responsible for getting the HNRY companies back to full rate for both as they were the cause of this whole mess to begin with.
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Razorblade
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Have you done the math? $800 weekly for H&W and Pension benefits alone add $20.00 an hour to labor costs. Add to that unworked, unproductive, paid days like vacations, holidays and sick days plus the associated costs of unemployment and workers comp insurance and the actual cost to employ a Teamster is at least double the hourly wage.
Again and again I have posted that labor costs must be reduced if YRC is to survive in a competitive industry. Your answer is always management and the government caused this. Maybe they did but this is the situation that exists and must be dealt with now. Deregulation was 40 years ago and the Zollar's Roadway-Yellow merger was when I was still working in 2003. The union employees have choices. They can move on to other employers. They can make tough choices to maintain their seniority and save their companies. They can play the blame game, refuse to change work rules, demand free healthcare and watch as YRC crashes and burns.
I chose to ride Preston Trucking to the very end. I ran a trip for Preston on the day they shut the doors. The very next day I was driving for Yellow. It's not 1999 anymore, If you are going to make a move, do it now.
vongrimmenstein
I stand for our flag, & kneel for the fallen
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You are correct. About 9 years ago Local 135 Brian Buhel told me 35 grand a year for H&W + Pension payments. He said in the first Yellow give back the Pension payment went to 25% instead 100%. So Yellow employees had to work 4 years to get 1 year of full pension credit. He said if they had not taken the deal, Yellow would have closed the doors. I don't know if that was true. But based on 800.00 a week payment, I believe he might have been right. von.
Steward of the Rock
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In case you forgot there genius, you were the one that started this crap about paying $100 for Health&Welfare to get the pension back up to full contribution rate in post #25. I was simply pointing out that it would take a much greater rate than $100 extra weekly to get their contribution rate up to full rate. Blade, I think you may need to have your doctor check you for dementia as you have clearly forgotten how to do math or how to be a Teamster!!!
vongrimmenstein
I stand for our flag, & kneel for the fallen
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I have always thought the rank & file should have said no to any give back. Easy for me the say that with all my time @ ABF. But, they did vote for the concessions. So they back then & current employees chose this path. That said, they have & had poor reps in the for of Union Leadership. And that hurt them badly when it came to decision time. If the Officers of the Long Shoremans Union tried that, staying in office would have been short lived. von.
Steward of the Rock
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To be fair, the HNRY employees were deceived into thinking that the concessions would be short term and temporary. This narrative was pushed heavily by Zollars and company. Now, here we are 12 years later, and the concessions are still in place.
vongrimmenstein
I stand for our flag, & kneel for the fallen
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I am not taking sides. But, the Yellow rank & file have had @ least 2 times to say no to the offered contract with concessions. Why have they not defied their leadership? I will tell you why. In Indy Local 135 it is a rare occasion to find more than 20% (if that) @ the once a month Union Freight meeting for Yellow. ABF is the same way. Brian once told me the attendance @ these meetings tells the Local Officers the rank & file are happy with the current status of their pay & benefits. If the members packed the Hall & out in to the streets, then things would change. The elected Officers like their jobs in the Union. They would pay attention to hundreds of loud men & women demanding change. Would they pay attention to 20% of the employees being quiet, respectful, & not demanding much 1 Sunday morning out of the month? Not so much. We reap what we sow. von.
Razorblade
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The point remains. The typical rank and file Teamster refuses to look past next weeks paycheck. YRC should, for the benefit of all their employees, present a take it or leave it offer in order to remain viable, allow them to pay down debt, return to profitability, provide job security for all employees from CEO on down, expand their customer base and create the ability to hire and retain employees in every classification. Will the YRC employees vote to stay employed or vote to shut it down?
Post # 25 was a series of questions starting with "do you think". Read it again. NEVER did I say $100.00 a week would fund pensions. So I will ask those questions again.
Given a finite amount of money,
What would you cut to restore full pensions?
Will the rank and file accept cuts to healthcare to restore pensions?
Will the members agree to healthcare co-pays and deductibles?
Will the members ratify a contract with a $100.00 a week deduction for insurance premiums?
The answer to those questions are nothing and no.
I will add a question. What are the members willing to accept to secure their future?
Your non union competition doesn't require one size fits all healthcare. Employees have choices. Different co-pays, deductibles and premiums based on their family needs. They offer tax free HSA plans to their employees. Your competition offers matching 401K plans so the employee never has to worry about a third party fund going broke or changing the rules for their retirement.
The real difference is that your competition trusts the employee to make decisions and take personal responsibility for their future. Teamsters reject that common sense approach.
Steward of the Rock
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Von, ABF381, and myself are all ABF. Our company is currently healthy and strong. The questions you are asking should be directed to the HNRY companies. And from some of the things I have seen you post on here, I seriously doubt that they will want your help or your opinion.
Razorblade
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You don't need to be YRC to answer any of those general questions.
AND
Look again, I simply responded to your post.
You are correct, they don't want help or my opinion. They prefer to be unemployed in the near future. I went down with the ship at Preston Trucking. I ran a trip on the very last day and was running linehaul for Yellow the next day. Now the only union option is ABF.
That right there has got to be the funniest lines you have ever written. So you think the competition trusts the employees???? Even for you that is way out there...I say its because the things you mention are far cheaper. You just want the race to the bottom to accelerate with your approach.....but what do you care? You got yours....