why ooida, why not the TEAMSTERS??

[already gone]

Why do company drivers join the OOIDA? I am not a member, and i don't know the specifics of it, but isn't it mainly for OWNER OPERATORS? Do they negotiate on behalf of owner operators directly , or is it more like a loose knit association, taking donations and issuing occasional press releases?

I have been noticing OOIDA stickers on Werner, Schnieder, Swift, Prime, JB Hunt trucks recently. And I read and watched and listened to a bunch of big company drivers talk about strikes in the last year.

You have no rights to strike if you are not union. the OOIDA is not a union. Havent they said that repeatedly? If you get a contract, you have the right to negotiate, as a democratic unit, and strike with real force, because you are no longer an at will employee, and the employer's HAVE to negotiate in good faith. If they do not, then it is an automatic NLRB unfair labor practices charge.

I know companies in the last 20 years have lobbied like hell to take away workers rights, such as allowing permanent replacements, and allowing double breasting(starting a non union side of the company and growing that, giving all the work to the non union side and starving out the union side), but even with those problems, you are left in a much BETTER position with a union contract backing you, instead of a small, unknown to the average person, association.

If you want to run a successful strike, and if you REALLY want to improve your conditions, wouldn't you want to gain them through a LEGALLY binding contract? As long as you are an at will employee, If you participate in any of these strikes for better conditions you can be fired. You will have no recourse, and the NLRB will not be able to help you.

Why does the OOIDA not start working with the Teamsters Union? Without a solid legal backing, it seems the OOIDA is merely making suggestions.

The Teamsters already work with the longshoremen and they have taken over the rails. So it is not like they aren't willing to form a partnership to better the conditions of workers.

I am not saying that everyone should lobby to turn their truckload carrier into an LTL carrier, but it help everyone if one or more of the big 6 or 7 carriers signed onto the USF Glen Moore contract. It is a good contract, and it would definetly help out anyone currently on the road in a sleeper cab truck.

Hell, it couldn't even be THAT hard for Schnieder drivers, if they wanted to get loud enough, they STILL have a contract in Milwaukee for their Schnieder Transport drivers, if enough National drivers got together and called up Milwaukee's local, I would bet that they could RE-OPEN that contract.

[RickG]

Originally Posted by already gone

If you want to run a successful strike, and if you REALLY want to improve your conditions, wouldn't you want to gain them through a LEGALLY binding contract? As long as you are an at will employee, If you participate in any of these strikes for better conditions you can be fired. You will have no recourse, and the NLRB will not be able to help you.

When was the last time you heard of a successful strike ?

[already gone]

The IUE sit down strikers in chicago earlier this year.


when is the last time you heard of workers WITHOUT a contract going on strike, at all??

If you dont think a successful strike is possible, why try? why even be on this forum?

What are you even striking FOR, if you have no contracts, nothing to gain from sitting except for lost pay. I doubt any of the shippers would notice such an unorganized strike anyway, and since company drivers would be receiving no pay, they would just be fired.

All i am saying is what is the POINT of a strike without something solid to strike for, there is no goal here, and what you are fighting for is the same thing the Teamsters and every other union has been negotiating for for the last hundred years.

Bring your strike demands under a contract, and try to get an entire COMPANY on the bandwagon, and go from there. There will be NO gains from a piecemeal approach, with 50 owner operators, 3 drivers from Schnieder, 5 from prime, 2 from swift, and a few from werner, etc.

If you want to really change the trucking industry, why not try and get JUST the (Werner, Swift, JB Hunt, US Express, and on and on.....)drivers to strike, and then REFUSE to haul the struck goods, along with trying to bring them under a contract. Then for another, and so on and so forth.

I just don't see where a loose unorganized strike will make the companies do anything other than laugh and possibly fire some employee's.

This whole thing sounds like some dream from a guy who has been out on the road a month with Convoy stuck in his dvd player.

[RickG]

Originally Posted by already gone

The IUE sit down strikers in chicago earlier this year.


when is the last time you heard of workers WITHOUT a contract going on strike, at all??

If you dont think a successful strike is possible, why try? why even be on this forum?

What are you even striking FOR, if you have no contracts, nothing to gain from sitting except for lost pay. I doubt any of the shippers would notice such an unorganized strike anyway, and since company drivers would be receiving no pay, they would just be fired.

All i am saying is what is the POINT of a strike without something solid to strike for, there is no goal here, and what you are fighting for is the same thing the Teamsters and every other union has been negotiating for for the last hundred years.

Bring your strike demands under a contract, and try to get an entire COMPANY on the bandwagon, and go from there. There will be NO gains from a piecemeal approach, with 50 owner operators, 3 drivers from Schnieder, 5 from prime, 2 from swift, and a few from werner, etc.

If you want to really change the trucking industry, why not try and get JUST the (Werner, Swift, JB Hunt, US Express, and on and on.....)drivers to strike, and then REFUSE to haul the struck goods, along with trying to bring them under a contract. Then for another, and so on and so forth.

I just don't see where a loose unorganized strike will make the companies do anything other than laugh and possibly fire some employee's.

This whole thing sounds like some dream from a guy who has been out on the road a month with Convoy stuck in his dvd player.

What does an electrical workers union have to do with Teamsters ?

“Nobody wins in these situations, so we’re glad to have everyone back,” Cherry said. [LINK POSTED BY MEMBER] Only Members Can View This Truck Forum Link.

The union's offer is its “attempt to jump-start this process because at this stage both the workers and company are in a lose-lose situation,” [LINK POSTED BY MEMBER] Only Members Can View This Truck Forum Link.

October 31, 2007: The strike against Waste Management which began on Oct. 19 in Los Angeles County is over. Nearly 500 Local 396 Teamsters are returning to work under a new five-year contract that is identical to the substandard contract they previously rejected [LINK POSTED BY MEMBER] Only Members Can View This Truck Forum Link.

So perhaps I should have been more specific . When was the last time you saw a successful Teamster strike ?

[junkyardhound]

YES its a great time to strike!Companies are fighting for freight,laid off drivers all over.Trick is you do it when the companies need the drivers.

[already gone]

Successful teamster strikes are harder because of big companies that charge cut throat rates by paying their drivers substandard wages and keeping them in the trucks for weeks on end. However, you asked when the last time there was a SUCCESSFUL strike, not a successful TEAMSTER strike.

But, you didn't answer my earlier question, if you don't beleive in a stike, why be on this forum at all? and if you do support it, why not go with an organization that is equipped to handle a stike? The OOIDA will back out of any disruption you guys have planned, they are ALMOST as useful as the ATA.

The OOIDA has stated that it is NOT a union, and it did NOT support the trucker stikes. Why support them then? what is the point, what is it, a fan club for trucking?? It sounds about as legitamate as TVC Pro Driver, you pay money for a few window stickers and nothing else. no benefits, no contract, no negotiations, nothing.

Wake up, and realize there is ONE organization looking out for truckers, and stop trying to turn your back on them because YOU dont think they are winning. If you think they are on the wrong track, why not join and try and change it??

Instead i hear a bunch of monday morning quarterbacks, talking about how the teamsters have lost, they are all gone. WELL THAN TRY AND CHANGE IT, because there is NO other organization with real power.

You want to see how much power the OOIDA has? ask your boss if he cares if you join. He won't care, and probably doesnt't even know what the OOIDA does.

You want to see how much power the Teamsters have? ask your boss if he cares if the employee's go join the Teamsters. He will throw a fit and probably try and fire you.

[Lilbit]

The strike back in the 70's was not just teamsters, and it did quite a bit of good.

The reason you won't see a strike these days is because of the large companies out there like Swift, Werner, etc.

[RickG]

Originally Posted by already gone

But, you didn't answer my earlier question, if you don't beleive in a stike, why be on this forum at all?

You want to see how much power the Teamsters have? ask your boss if he cares if the employee's go join the Teamsters. He will throw a fit and probably try and fire you.

I'm on this forum to explain why strikes are senseless for Teamsters . Recent strikes had no gains .
But you're right about joining the Teamsters resulting in job losses . Over 9,000 former DHL employees are proof of that .

[already gone]

DHL has no market here because of UPS, they did NOT lose jobs because they were Teamsters.

And last i knew, THIS forum was for COMPANY drivers wanting a MASS strike, not Teamster drivers looking to strike ONE company.

[Working Class Patriot]

Unions and strikes......what a joke......
Back in the early 90's, the Teamster were going to strike because of the utility contracts. They were going to allow "Low-rates" to come in and cut the wages by $5/h. So the Teamsters asked the IUOE and the labors to support each other in solidarity. The IUOE did but, the labors told the contractors that if the Teamsters went on strike, they would send their labors to driving schools to fill in and replace the striking Teamsters; then they would also put labors on equipment to replace the striking Operating Engineers..... Yeah...Unions care about the needs of the working man.....
I was a Teamster for 20 years...let's see if I still recieve a pension...or not......