Yellow Running Out Of Money (And Possibly,Time)??

mjd4277 · Jul 21, 2023

Possible double whammy?
The State of Freight: 5 takeaways on Yellow’s fate and a UPS strike

Siinman · Jul 21, 2023

Oxbow said: ↑

What's this 40 hour week you speak of? Hell, try to be more like France and get it down to 30. Or better yet you should get paid for no work.
Ok, that was snarky. I apologize. The point is that unions were supposed to provide companies with the best employees, and therefore the companies could prosper despite a somewhat higher labor cost.

This country is going to be over run by third world countries in short order if the thought that workers are owed an income that is not compensorate to what that worker produces.

And, "the mostly anti-union...trucking industry" will still be working while the YRC employees are scrambling for a job.

I'm really not a union basher. One of the best construction outfits in our Right to Work State is a union contractor. But they must compete in the marketplace with non-union contractors, albeit the non-union outfits have to pay prevailing wages on federally funded jobs as well, but they aren't handcuffed to be over staffed just to follow union rules.

I worked for a bridge building contractor in the past. I worked out of the shop hauling equipment and materials to the jobs, and the shop was non-union while the guys on the jobs were union, but we all worked together on the job. Each crew would have an operator, oiler, carpenter, concrete finisher, iron worker, and laborer at a minimum. But on small jobs, it was okay for the concrete finisher to help the iron worker, or the operator to jump out and help the carpenter.

That company ended up just shutting down and selling the equipment a handful of years ago. One of the issues was the unions came down on them for having an ironworker move some concrete forms, or the cement finisher help to move the crane, etc. This was a great company at one time. Such a shame the cost of having unions on the job made it undesirable to try and compete with the non-union contractors that could better utilize their workforce.

I guess my disagreement with unions is primarily the management rather than the worker. They really need to provide their workers with good jobs and good working conditions, but they also need to provide the companies with an edge by supplying quality skilled workers that are not readily available on the open market.

At any rate, union or not, I feel for the YRC employees that are likely to lose their livelihood. Hopefully Yellow's competitors can grow and absorb the freight as well as the employees.

At least that's how I see it.
Click to expand...

This hits hard on every point I think of the union. If there was a high standard for a union worker then it would benefit the union and honestly make them attractive. I would have even considered of joining one when I worked for someone else. The one thing I wanted in a work place was for my ability to out work, work smarter, and out perform my co workers would stand out to the owners. I never wanted to be the regular guy working that just had a job. I wanted to be the highest man on the totem pole and get my true worth!

runningman0661 · Jul 22, 2023

Siinman said: ↑

This hits hard on every point I think of the union. If there was a high standard for a union worker then it would benefit the union and honestly make them attractive. I would have even considered of joining one when I worked for someone else. The one thing I wanted in a work place was for my ability to out work, work smarter, and out perform my co workers would stand out to the owners. I never wanted to be the regular guy working that just had a job. I wanted to be the highest man on the totem pole and get my true worth!
Click to expand...

That’s always been my issue with unions. I could be the hardest working most productive guy on the job, and some worthless, lazy and incompetent POS would get the same protection as me. No thanks, I will let my work ethic and professionalism help me rise above.

LtlAnonymous · Jul 22, 2023

Oxbow said: ↑

What's this 40 hour week you speak of? Hell, try to be more like France and get it down to 30. Or better yet you should get paid for no work.
Ok, that was snarky. I apologize. The point is that unions were supposed to provide companies with the best employees, and therefore the companies could prosper despite a somewhat higher labor cost.

This country is going to be over run by third world countries in short order if the thought that workers are owed an income that is not compensorate to what that worker produces.

And, "the mostly anti-union...trucking industry" will still be working while the YRC employees are scrambling for a job.

I'm really not a union basher. One of the best construction outfits in our Right to Work State is a union contractor. But they must compete in the marketplace with non-union contractors, albeit the non-union outfits have to pay prevailing wages on federally funded jobs as well, but they aren't handcuffed to be over staffed just to follow union rules.

I worked for a bridge building contractor in the past. I worked out of the shop hauling equipment and materials to the jobs, and the shop was non-union while the guys on the jobs were union, but we all worked together on the job. Each crew would have an operator, oiler, carpenter, concrete finisher, iron worker, and laborer at a minimum. But on small jobs, it was okay for the concrete finisher to help the iron worker, or the operator to jump out and help the carpenter.

That company ended up just shutting down and selling the equipment a handful of years ago. One of the issues was the unions came down on them for having an ironworker move some concrete forms, or the cement finisher help to move the crane, etc. This was a great company at one time. Such a shame the cost of having unions on the job made it undesirable to try and compete with the non-union contractors that could better utilize their workforce.

I guess my disagreement with unions is primarily the management rather than the worker. They really need to provide their workers with good jobs and good working conditions, but they also need to provide the companies with an edge by supplying quality skilled workers that are not readily available on the open market.

At any rate, union or not, I feel for the YRC employees that are likely to lose their livelihood. Hopefully Yellow's competitors can grow and absorb the freight as well as the employees.

At least that's how I see it.
Click to expand...

All fair points. Maybe you need to ask yourself where the stereotype of the lazy union guy came from.

I mean because of course you're going to have lazy union workers. But it's also a psychological effect that once something has been pointed out to us, we see it everywhere. It's part of our drive to see patterns, which is an evolutionary trait.

Because the best union drivers I've worked with have been beyond amazing. Saved my ### in so many ways, taught me so much... It would be impossible to put a price tag on what I've learned from them over the years.

So...I dunno. Maybe it's a perception problem for us both, and the truth is somewhere in the middle?

LtlAnonymous · Jul 22, 2023

runningman0661 said: ↑

That’s always been my issue with unions. I could be the hardest working most productive guy on the job, and some worthless, lazy and incompetent POS would get the same protection as me. No thanks, I will let my work ethic and professionalism help me rise above.
Click to expand...

Yeah, it's not quite like that. Granted, there are definitely problem employees. But everyone is pretty professional at my shop for the most part.

Siinman · Jul 22, 2023

LtlAnonymous said: ↑

Yeah, it's not quite like that. Granted, there are definitely problem employees. But everyone is pretty professional at my shop for the most part.
Click to expand...

My wife daughter had a bf that was in the union as a welder. He was one of the lazy ones and got in because his dad was in for 20 plus years. Dude was a bum to say the least but never got fired.

LtlAnonymous · Jul 22, 2023

Siinman said: ↑

My wife daughter had a bf that was in the union as a welder. He was one of the lazy ones and got in because his dad was in for 20 plus years. Dude was a bum to say the least but never got fired.
Click to expand...

It definitely happens. I'd have to be delusional to say it doesn't. Lol

bzinger · Jul 22, 2023

There's bums union and non union.

drvrtech77 · Jul 22, 2023

bzinger said: ↑

There's bums union and non union.
Click to expand...

Absolutely spot on

drvrtech77 · Jul 22, 2023

Drivers were told to take all personal pessions home friday according to leaked memo…

it’s over…unless some miracle happens.

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