50-60 years ago unions were good, they had legitimate greviances and provided away for workers to be treated fairly. A lot of what we have today is owed to unions: vacations, personal days, raise structures, but something had changed. Crooks took over the Unions, the unions aren't about keeping American workers working, it's about union dues and power. They have become parasites of the US economy. Luckly they are losing their strength and people are wising up about the dangers of being in a union. Unions are in desperate position right now and they are taking desperate measures to retain control of what they got. AFL-CIO and Ted Kennedy is ttrying to get more illegals in the country, they want to make the illegals eligible to unionize and to become paying union members. Believe me if something is passed so Mexican drivers can unionize, you'll see the Teamsters change thier tune about Mexican dirvers threating US driver jobs.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

By Suzanne Gamboa, Associated Press

Democrats also are facing opposition from unions. Many AFL-CIO member unions and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters are concerned that employers will choose to hire foreigners over more expensive American workers.

They want limits on work visas for foreigners, but also full labor protections that would let them join unions.
"The ideal immigration reform bill would not contain a guest worker program," said Yvette Pena Lopes, a Teamsters lobbyist. If one is created, the Teamsters and other unions want it to expire in three to five years, Lopes said.

Immigration bill sponsors say allowing workers to become legal permanent residents after several years of work will help protect them from exploitation by employers.
The bill is HR1645.

[LINK POSTED BY MEMBER] Only Members Can View This Truck Forum Link.

It's double talk and a revolving door scheme. Their saying we want to protect American workers by limiting the number of years for foreign workers, but these "foreign workers" can join unions and pay our dues and there's no limit to how many members can be foreign workers. When one foreign member leaves, there's two more to take his/her place. That's if they enforce the visa rule. The Unions can't come out and say they support a full amensty program, although they have supported amensty programs in the past. All these unions care about is more due money and bigger unions. They don't care who the members are, they just want more members.


++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Overview of the Security Through Regularized Immigration and a Vibrant Economy Act of 2007 (STRIVE Act of 2007)

H.R.1645

TITLE IV: NEW WORKER PROGRAM THAT REFLECTS REALITIES OF OUR WORKFORCE

Worker Visa Program: Creates a legal channel for future immigrant workers (and their spouses and children) by establishing the H-2C visa, which is valid for three years and renewable for another three. Employers must attempt to hire U.S. workers by first offering the job to any eligible U.S. worker who applies and is qualified and able. To achieve this, employers must go through a rigorous recruitment process. Employers are barred from hiring new immigrant workers if they are located in an area with an unemployment rate higher than 9 percent for workers whose education level is at or below a high school diploma.

The visa program has an initial cap of 400,000 which adjusts yearly based on market fluctuations. Requires H-2C immigrants who are unemployed for more than 60 days to leave the United States. Includes the following labor rights and protections for H-2C workers: fair and competitive wages, the ability to travel outside the United States, whistleblower protections, flexibility to change employers (“portability”), an opportunity to apply for conditional permanent residence after five years of employment and eventual citizenship, if desired, among other protections.

Requirements to be Met by Applicants for an H-2C Visa:

• demonstrate job qualifications and provide evidence of a job offer from a U.S. employer
• complete criminal- and terrorism-related background checks
• pay a $500 application fee
• undergo a medical exam
• show admissibility to the U.S. (certain bars to admission related to undocumented status may be waived; security and criminal related bars may not be waived)

Earned Citizenship: Provides new workers (and their spouses and children) with an opportunity to apply for conditional permanent residence and eventual citizenship. The immigrant may apply through an employer or by self-petition after working for 5 years and paying a $500 application fee.

Requirements for Earned Citizenship

• show physical presence in the U.S. and evidence of employment
• complete criminal and security background checks
• pay $500 application fee
• meet English and civic requirements
• show admissibility (certain bars to admission related to undocumented status are waived; security- and criminal-related bars may not be waived)

TITLE V: REFORMING A BROKEN VISA SYSTEM IN A WAY THAT PROTECTS FAMILIES

The STRIVE Act overhauls the family-based and employment-based immigration system to reduce backlogs and inefficiencies. The legislation provides opportunities for high skilled workers to come to, and remain in, the U.S. It also addresses employment needs in shortage occupations, such as nursing.

[LINK POSTED BY MEMBER] Only Members Can View This Truck Forum Link.

Yes, it is about union dues and power.

Before I got my CDL and started driving a truck, I worked a job that was union. I went to some meetings and got to know my co-woekers. I really wish I would have just kept my head down and done my job because some of the things I found out about at those meetings was enough to make me stew with anger pretty much every day and was a big reason why I ended up getting a different job.

Basicly, certian long time employees got to bend the rules of our contract and do things the rest of us weren't. They got to do this because they'd play both sides of the fence. When they were at a union meeting or around union members they acted all loyal to them, but then they'd turn around and tell management everything the union was planning.

Whats worse is during my employment there I watched these same two faced employees make better money, get more promotions and just get treated better in general, all because they were willing to run their mouths.

That whole experience pretty much turned me off on unions for good.

Unions have about served their usefulness to American workers. I am new to trucking but as I look around I don't see many driving jobs out there that don't pay fairly well, and that don't have a pretty good benefit package (insurance, time off, etc.). Yes an OTR job requires that you be gone a lot - a long way from home - face traffic - face waits at shippers and receivers and all of that. But that be the nature of the beast. I don't know what a union can do about this except make it more difficult and expensive for shippers. It is a cylce. If shippers pay more for shipping then they have to raise the price of their goods. The we need more money to pay for them. When the union strikes and gets us more money then the price of goods goes up and we need more money. Not only do we the truck drivers need more money but the entire consumer base needs more money. Their is no easy answer.

I am coming from an engineering background and have traveled extensively in my jobs. This has me away from home all week and home on the weekends. Sometimes I was away for several weeks at a time due to project requirements. Worked an average of 12 hours a day on the job while away from home and then I was just sitting around in a hotel or looking for something to do in the evening. Had to put up with airports, security and the BS that goes with that. Many things similar to the trucking industry. Yes the pay was maybe a little better than an equivalently experienced truck driver. But maybe not. My uncle drives and has 30+ years at it and makes over $60K driving 4-5 days per week, home every weekend and is not a trainer. Not to shabby. With 20+ years as an engineer I made a bit more but I worked 5-6 days per week and thru some weekends. Trucking looks pretty good.

Today's job market is driven by supply and demand. That is why the pay and benefits are slowly getting better for drivers. The supply of drivers is going down or the demand is going up and the supply is steady. This makes the price of the drivers go up. This is the law of supply and demand. When unions muck with this system by artificially driving up labor costs it messes everything up. Let's talk with some old Eastern Airlines employees. How about some of the UAW workers from GM, Delphi and others. There is an example of a fork lift operator making $103,000 per year at a Delphi facitliy, [LINK POSTED BY MEMBER] Only Members Can View This Truck Forum Link. . This in a market where supply and demand pays $26,000 a year for a fork lift driver. The union helped the worker right into bankrupting the company he worked for.

I don't think that unionizing is the answer for the truck driving industry. I think for those currently in it and for those like myself moving into it there will be improvements - supply and demand dictate it. I am certain because I have talked with freight company owners that I know, that the industry is trying to make it better. However, the freight companies are dealing with supply and demand with the selling of their services as well. They cannot just raise the cost of shipping freight willy-nilly as their customers will seek a better solution and then the company would be out of business.

It is never simple. It is not just a matter of having truckers paid for every single minute they are on the road. For every single minute that they wait. Not that these things won't happen and get even better - supply and demand. But it is the ramifications of the cost of shipping on the whole economy. As truckers like to say, "If you have it, it came by truck."

Just my humble opinion(s). It is worth exactly what you have paid for it - nothing.

__________________
"The greatest trick the Devil ever played was convincing the world that he did not exist ..... And like that he was gone."
Keyser Soze, "The Usual Suspects"

Well to get back on topic.......... I love being a union driver because I have tasted both sides of the battle line and I tell you what, I would much rather work with union protection and rights than without. And if you honestly ask yourselves you would work for a union outfit as well. Would you go to combat without a flak jacket and Kevlar helmet? Some of you will say yes and some of you will say no. The ones that say no then will start to put down the ones that do wear one. Does that make any sense? The union stands in the gap between the company and the employer.

I have been a Teamster for ten years and I have only had to file ONE grievance in those ten years and it was resolved before arbitration. The reason why I have only had to file once is because management can't change the rules on you in mid stroke and they know it. The company and union negotiate a contract with rules pertaining to how the employer will treat it's employees and how they will run their business. They also agree upon raises, health and welfare, pension contributions, vacation and other things pertaining to employees. These contracts are very specific and usually are binding for a period of 3 to 5 years.

Wouldn't it be comforting to have a work place where you know what is expected of you AND you know how you will be compensated for your work. Instead of hoping you will get a raise and not knowing what rules the company will have in place tommorow or the next day.

I guess what I am trying to say is that being a Teamster is being able to do your job and not get screwed with while doing it.

Higher pay
Better benefits
and representation

Would you go to trial without an attorney?
Well I prefer to work without fighting for my rights and having to watch my back at all times.

And all that for $30 to $60 a month. Sign me up .

Live better Work Union!!!

I've been to too many docks and union shops where I've thoroughly screwed by the unions loading and/or unloading there to want to have any part in any union.

When you as a union guy go to a place like that do they provide the vaseline for you or require you to bring you own?

Unions single handedly have been able to run many many companies either out of business or moved their operations out of the US to where they could continue to operate and stay in business.

Wake up to reality and see that the union does not create a utopia. Also look at the equipment union guys get to drive. No CB, no stereo, no jake brakes, lucky to have heat and AC.

__________________

You should complain to your company for the wait time. Do you get fairly compensated for your wait? By fairly I don't mean getting paid $20 to wait 4 hours.

Company's will outsource to other countries despite union's. Have any non union companies moves to other countries? The answer is yes. Greed is what moves companies or has them close down.

You sure do like to generalize your statements. No stereo's , no jake brakes, no cb (your company provides a cb for you, can't you afford your own?) , no ac/heat. First of all ac/heat is in the contract. If your tractor's ac/heat goes out they have a day to fix it and if it not you take another tractor out. And all of the other stuff ........... not all union company's are like that. I would agree that some LTL company's are like that but so are their non union counter parts. In fact my company has a fleet of trucks maintained by Ryder and are turned in at 500,000 miles and we run 11 western and are Teamsters. Oh yeak we also get paid for all of our time. Dont sell yourself short. Get paid for all of your time, don't work for free.

Sir you need to wake up and stop the jealosy.

You response is that he should be paid to wait on the union guys?
Why should he have to wait, paid or unpaid. The union dockworkers should just load him or load him and he can be on his way.

That way, everyone writing the checks gets their monies worth.

They won't pay because the unions will not allow them to write detention into the contract.


Unions suck.


I'm not jealous, I'm glad I don't have to work for an outfit that is so inefficient!

__________________

Absolutely!


Every time I've had to wait on a union shipper/receiver is was because THEY were screwing off knowing that there is no consequences for lack of production.

There is a reason that unions are dying and its their own fault.

__________________

When I think about it, I see Unions as the consequential result of bad/poor management.
I've been on the receiving end of bad/poor management.
It suks & there's almost no one to call.

If you're fortunate (or unfortunately involved in a problem) you might be in a position to hire an attorney.
The attorney then goes after everyone & gets the Goobermint involved.
Once the goobermint is involved, you wait...forever.. for them to hand down a decision.

Lets call a spade a spade shall we?
Unions are, in the general sense, paid protection scams made legal.
In my estimation, the "vig" is a fair exchange for the ROI.

The only power that Unions have is in the number of members.
Gaining members requires a trust in the management of the Union.
I don't doubt for a second that there isn't a fair degree of graft & corruption in certain Unions.

However, despite that graft & corruption, the Union member still enjoys far more protections against the employer than he/she could obtain on their own.

If it's a decent Union, the members will almost always receive a better medical plan, a better retirement plan & better working conditions than a non-union shop.

I give it to you that there's some company drivers out there that would benefit very little from joining a union.

As I said, Unions are the logical result of bad & poor management.
Not all companies are run that poorly.
Just most are.
That's how they got to the top of their game.
They've done it on the backs of their drivers & other staff.

Moving to the mention of union dock workers & how long it takes for them to do their jobs.
I don't blame the union for that.
I see it as a lack of work ethic.

I can see how the union dock guy could become lazy but, there's nothing in the union rules that say's a union guy must be lazy.

If the company can't get the help to move, you fire that person or crew.
Not even union guys are exempt from having to produce.
Again, a lack of management skill on the part of the company.

In the end, I would prefer to be in the ranks of a decent local than be without.

And if there's anyplace that's just screamin' for a union, it's the trucking outfits in Florida & along the Gulf coast.

But, alas & alac, that "good ole boy" mentality thrives there.
Those companies think they're doing you a favor at minumum wages.

Those company drivers aren't smart enough to see how badly they are, can & probably will get burned down the road.