WALMART Drivers laid off at UPS as Feeder Driver.

True. Wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. Considering the Teamsters track record for raiding the pension fund. At least a 401k is your money, no matter what. Conway Drivers always liked it. XPO Drivers inherited the same plan, from they’ve told me. They seem happy with it. I’ve met a few Teamsters that got partial pensions because they couldn’t prove past employment. That’s BS. Attention all Teamsters. Save every pay stub. You may need it someday.

 

I'm happy with XPO’s 401 so far

 

Are you a teamster? Every year the FUND sends me a letter telling me how much I will get when I retire. ABF has nothing to do with the pension except to pay my share into it. Every year the fund sends me a letter telling me how well funded the Central Pa Teamsters fund is. ABF sends out a letter I think twice a year telling me how much they put in for me. I also have a Roth 401k through ny company contributing 18 percent of my wages into a pre tax fund and after tax fund.

 

Yes I’m a Teamster. Belong to 2 Locals. 337, and 299 in Detroit. I only have 3 years. I still have my withdrawal card from 1996. Last letter I got from the Teamsters was a request to fill out a form showing the 12 mos. I had worked as a Casual. The Company had only paid 8 mos. into my pension. At that time, the new contract allowed companies to work casuals without ever hiring them. The Teamsters were only after the money. Knowing I’d never get a pension. At least that’s how I felt at the time. If I had a crystal ball, I’d have tried to get a job at ABF. Probably wouldn’t have been available for 5+ years. I could have moved to Chicago and gotten a Union job. Not in Detroit. So many older drivers back then from Companies that had shut down, with seniority and hiring priority. It’s good to hear they’re doing you right. Cleaned up their act. It’s true about having to prove past employment. Some drivers had 6 or more jobs to prove. Working at each till they shut down.

 

Did not mean to sound like I was attacking you. I really don't like getting into the pro's and cons of union. My whole life I was non union and did just fine. The last 10 years I have been a Teamster. I am not the guy that walks around spouting union propaganda. I know what I have here and I have been lucky. The board was top heavy and a lot of senior guys retired. In 10 years I am in the top quarter of seniority. I feel bad for the bottom guys because it will be years before they can hold a bid. I held one after my first year. Yes the union can suck at times but at my barn (Carlisle Pa) we have very good union leadership. Is the union perfect? Nope, sometimes I wish I was non. My 2 cents.

 

Walmart will definitely be the first to do away with human drivers.

 

I've been hearing that they'd do away with their private fleet for the whole 24 years I've been driving a truck and Walmart has actually tripled their fleet size in that time frame. They'll have it increased again by another 25 or 30% in a couple of more years if they keep hiring and growing it at the pace they want to so they can get rid of contract carriers. When you're limited to the likes of Swift, Schneider and Marten to cover your needs service levels fall off and equipment really takes a beating. I mean they *could* eliminate their fleet. It's possible. But they haven't ever really trended that direction and are actually going the opposite direction real quickly now these days. That said OP is very fortunate to be in his situation. That's Cadillac insurance and retirement for sure and would be difficult to walk away from.

 

In fall of 91 I was hired full-time temp feeder at UPS.
Stayed on after Jan 1 and turned regular, bottom of seniority list.
Worked for nearly a year and quit for another union outfit across the street. It was bought out and closed in 2007.

My only regret was not having the foresight to see into the future.
I'd have had 32 yrs in and most likely set for a comfortable retirement.
I've done well and will retire next year but not as well as if I'd stayed at brown.
You made a good call.

 

I was that outspoken Union Guy. All I ever wanted was a job under the Master Freight Agreement. Couldn’t wait forever. Bought a Truck. I’m still an avid Union Supporter. I’d like to see a resurgence. Real wages have suffered terribly. Even for Union Jobs. Without the threat of workers organizing, Companies have no incentive to raise wages.

 

Man if we didn't have guys like you to share your experiences who knows where we'd be. I definitely take into account my future with trucking.