A Strike that will work OR that will get real Attention

[kajidono]

I like it, but we've got 4 days to get everyone on board. It'd be a challenge just to spread the word in time.

[Mainframe]

Glass half full? We have a whole year to set this up. Just think, a year before elections. The timing couldn't be better....

[Skunk_Truck_2590]

Well it sound's good and all in theory but here stand's thy problem. Driver's of big companies won't strike because companies say "if you strike, we will fire you!" in fear of loosing their jobs but what the driver's don't understand is if everyone stood on a strike no one would get fired because the companies would fold up faster than a sheet of paper but these driver's don't understand that and would rather continue kissing ### and taking it as they can get it. What they also don't understand is what "united we stand" stand's for and most don't care. The only thing I have seen come from the previous strike is show who is willing to whine and who is greatful to continue taking it up the ### and leaving us all looking like jack ###' in the public eye because one way or another a truck driver is going to find something to disagree about amongest ourselfs. Now I'm all for a strike and for a change but it's only in theory because very few know how to unite, then there are those who don't care and then the fresh meat that don't know their ### from a hole in the ground.

These companies are just like the IRS. They have everyone scared to not pay tax's other wise if everyone in this country stood up and said we are tired of your #### and you wasting our money on BS when it could be put to better use then we would over throw them and there's nothing they can do about it because they can't put everybody in prison for not paying. For those who do stand up againest it without all, look where it get's them. Trucking=jobless IRS=prison

[Skunk_Truck_2590]

Firstly, I'd like to apologize to all the bretheren out there that I disappointed for the trucker's strike some odd years back.... I got called back to the construction job I had been doing for years, and in hindsight, should have stayed behind the wheel....

Here's is the old plan, that nobody seems to have realized has the most potential.

First, if you are going to do this, we have to agree upon a time, a specific day of the year. Second, the help of the brokers and companies is paramount. It's not impossible, though it will take some effort. Once they see the benefits, it will be hard to keep them out...

Keep the general public out of it, and keep mum, nothing works better than a surprise, and this one is a doozy.

Now the plan. What is the worst (best?) day to pull such a stunt? Black Friday, the biggest shopping day of the year. "Black" because thats when retailers and 90% of all businesses come out of the year's red and make the bulk of thier profits. The big shots can help by pulling a few bucks out of those few who can't manage money and set it aside, hopefully about two weeks worth can be built up, but I don't see it lasting that long. The smarter of us can do it ourselves, or opt for the slowly built lump, or both.

Next, send everybody, and I mean EVERYONE home for Thanksgiving. All office personnel included. No point in manning phones and computers if nothing is moving and noone is calling...

Next, just let everybody stay home and have them sit in front of the computer or telly and watch things develop. Those few drivers that absolutely must remain on the road, like medical suppliers, fuel trucks, and the poor souls who absolutely have to stay out there will account for about one truck in five hundred miles of highway. Use these guys later as being the unlucky souls that cannot participate in such an endeavor because of their financial predicament.

Then, the rest of the transportation infrastructure will come to a fast slowdown. As shelves empty and stores get barren, there will be a massive reduction in fuel consumption. No one will be buying it because there is nowhere to go and nothing to buy when they get there, so the tanks at the stations will be full when its over. Maybe making sure that your rig is full before parking it might help. Medical supplies needed for traumatic injuries will fall off sharply, noone is driving.... Shippers and recevers will be screeching mad, ports will make ships stay out on the water, and countries outside of ours will also be affected. When was the last time you saw a train deliver to a Wal-mart or Sears? Most places have several companies to pull their freight. They going to fire ALL of us?

There is none and never will be any other infrastructure capable of doing what we do. The Big Gov't machine doesn't even have the manpower through the service personnel from all the branches to take up the slack once the ball drops.

There will be no demonstrations, no marches, no vigils, except for watching the tube. The Fed will be running around with its head cut off looking for a visible enemy, usually the demonstrators. We all know how filthy their tactics have become, so why tempt it? What are they going to do, go door to door looking for CDL drivers to threaten?? Methinks not! Plus, when they have no visible or perceived threat, they get scared.

While the rest of the country is wondering what the H is going on during the first week of December, we have chosen one nobody-special guy that lives out in the sticks in some little town that has a ten watt transmitter for their local radio station that is connected to the AP and other wire services. They get their 15 minutes of fame.

He spills the beans and fills in what few blanks are left, and explains that if there were demonstrations that the gangsters in office always like flexing their muscle so there was no point in demonsrtating, so we did the next best thing. Everyone across the entire industy up and quit. Even the big guys at JB, CRE, Werner, Schnieder, Central, on down the line.

Guaranteed, we would get every iota of what we asked for, across the board, with very few exceptions. Then you throw the entire volume at them, and tell them we want it NOW, or nothing moves. Stick to our guns, and they would have to call a special session of Congress just to make it work. They say, "We'll think about it," we say, "Have a nice day."
They say, "you better drive them trucks," we say, "Sorry, everyone quit."

We don't get our cheques from the United States Goverment, we earn them the old fashioned way by providing a thankless service to the ungrateful masses. They have absolutely NOTHING to threaten us with. Even if they did try, they would be shooting themselves in the foot by charging drivers with... Hmm, felony failure to deliver and distribute?

I'd be willing to bet that after a full out industy wide strike everyone would be more grateful for our services and realize just how much they need us.

That's the basics, get the whole industry in on it. Have reps from all aspects- brokers, companies, drivers, mechanics, OOIDA, Teamsters....

Things would be happening the first week, I guarantee. It would be over by tuesday, wednesday at the latest. Even if talks stalled, they would be back at the tables in hours, not days. It would be the fastes strike negotiations in history! You wouldn't need that much to take up the slack, and besides, look at that quality time everyone gets to spend with their folks!

This covers all gripes, not just fuel. Hows that for a plan?!

This is one of the best plan's I've heard and the "few" that must stay out and continue, well, they will be hit with it as well and have no choice but to shut down because there won't be any dispatchers to run them. So they don't have much choice. But the biggest question of all, is how to you kick off such a plan and make it effective?

[rich_t]

The purpose(s) of this strike would be?

[Mainframe]

The purpose(s) of this strike would be?

The purpose is simple. The fed and other outside forces that we all know and hate will have to come to the bargaining table. If they don't, they will lose massive dollars. No entity in that kind of jeopardy would dare not show up. Each company brings a single rep for themselves, and another for the drivers. If anything was stonewalled by the other side, you walk away. If that happened, guaranteed the table would be empty for only a few minutes before they would want to come back. Even Big Bro would come back to the table after a little fuming. we could get the rules changed to something reasonable, without months of finagling and subversive tactics by them. for once, it would be written in plain english, and no way or time to slip in some billion dollar pet project for some mouse in some unknown desert.

Money talks, and at that (this) time of year, it is VERY heavy handed, and makes LOTS of noise.

[rich_t]

A laudable goal perhaps, but with today's economic times, I don't think that you will get enough company drivers to risk their jobs by going on a strike, and I wonder how many O/Os will join in.

[blueskies]

I like the idea of a rolling strike; we all have plenty reasons to strike (CA) shippers/receivers. No need to whine here, we know the list of abuses and the ways to avoid most of them or thechniques to force the issue, "My Reefer is running out of fuel", "I'll be back, call the Broker and Let me know what you decide".

I think it will take several years for this to gain enough momentum. I am willing to look at this, because this business is only going to get more difficult. As an Independent I know I can charge less than the large companies. Truckers' would need to know which area to strike, perhaps this could be conveyed either by a mailing list or a website. I would keep the strike or "boycott" limited to a few days, so that the scab companies can't get enough trucks in the area and keep the strike area far enough apart that the large companies can't get the freight. It's bad enought almost getting hit by these drivers parked!

It could be an all out strike or a "no cheap frieght strike". If we can strike in an area, for example, Salt Lake City; we could tell everybody "No trucks move unless you are getting paid $1.94/mile, going out". We could do this for 2~3 days. Hypothetically, all these loads would be covered by CR England, Central, etc., then move the strike to Denver. Not all the trucks would be in the Denver area: No company could defeat this with extra trucks and drivers sitting, waiting for the next strike. We could have a list of cities and randomly change the location and the duration of the strike. What do you think? Do I need another cup of coffee or just roll down the window?

[fallinangel]

I done been thru one strike and it dident work because people that were not involved in trucking just had to stick there noses in where it had no buisness being then you had ### s like JB pumpkin and others that pulled the same freight for 50 cents a mile and shot everything out the door so a strike will never work unless all companies join when i started years ago truckin was truckin and we all stuck together now its a cut throat #### the other dont care attitude thats brought it to where its at today

[SmoothShifter]

I think the only way were going to get everybody involved is not call it a strike. Instead, maybe we should just call it " An unpaid week off with free beer and nekkid girls.."

I think it would be less work to get everybody to chip in on booze and hire a few out of work strippers to get 'er done. With the economy, the dancers have to be hurting too.

Just a thought.

My apologies to the lady truckers and AA graduates in advance.