Originally Posted by Tip  Here's another theory to get the hornet's nest buzzing:
A trucker's strike will never work today. At least not for YOU, the present driver.
Here's why:
Too many CDL holders.
Sure, every driver holds a CDL, but what about the "other" bunch, those who have CDLs but don't use them? This group is pretty big, I'd bet. You can not overlook them. I'll go out on a limb to get you guys talking and say there are TWO CDLs held by non-drivers for every CDL held by an actual driver. I don't really know what it is. I'll just say TWO.
Some of these non-drivers don't drive anymore because they are "holding out" waiting for pay rates to increase and some aggravating issues in trucking to be finally resolved.
A strike COULD, theoretically, bring higher pay and resolve those issues. But reality would be different, at least for YOU, the current driver. See, if you guys go on strike, you'll probably lose your jobs like the air-traffic controllers did back in the early 80s. I mean, the president isn't going to fire you. He'll just order you back to work. If you don't comply, the companies will then be able to fire you. An example will be made of you, absolutely.
But.......Who will take your place?
Who do you think? The holders of CDLs who haven't driven in some cases decades. Like my uncle from Michigan who hasn't driven a truck in 20 years but has kept his license all this time (I wonder if it's a CDL or a Chauffer's? I've not asked him). He's got like 20 years driving experience with no accidents that I know of.
He's holding out, but don't think he'll sit on the fence if things improve, no sir. He will come running like a wild cow kicking up his heels if a strike took pay to 60 cents per mile on average, you'd better believe it. I'd probably be joining him, too. Maybe my uncle would land YOUR job.
Yeah, you would go on strike, make all the sacrifices to make it work, and even get pay rates increased. Maybe you'd even finally get paid to sit at docks hours and hours and hours while you wait to be loaded. The only problem is, you wouldn't enjoy it, at least not for long, if at all. Somebody else will. That somebody else would take your place and reap the benefits of your sacrifices and hard work. Smart move.
No, we don't have to worry about a truckers' strike in the foreseeable future. There are far too many CDLs out there held by folks who've not set foot in a truck in years. Perhaps that is exactly what trucking companies want, though. A whole bunch of people sitting around with CDLs not driving. They act as a collective "guard dog" against strikes.
But this is all speculation.
What happens if a strike does occur, pay goes through the roof, and the non-driver CDL holders land in the suddenly great-paying trucking jobs? A new equilibrium would be reached, and wages wouldn't remain high for long. After all, there'd be a whole new pool of non-driving CDL holders around dragging down pay, and YOU might be one of them.
What do you think? Could a strike work today? |
07.01.2009
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