Deregulation and Unionization

Good evening,

I have been reading into the industry and I have 2 questions for those of you who have been around longer than I have, as I am only 30 and wasn't around to see if for myself.

Was life for a trucker better or worse before the MCA of 1980? And whatever it was, why?

Also, it sincerely bothers me how poor the conditions are for OTR drivers. Why is unionization for company OTR drivers seemingly nonexistent?

I feel the same way for owner-operators, but I understand that unionization isn't an option for independents. And unfortunately, I believe that that fact which consists of OO having to stand alone, is what allows the industry to treat you all the way they do...poor rates, low TONU and detention fees, and more poor rates, etc.

 

You said that pay was better before de-regulation...any idea why?

Also, regarding unionization, I understand why it isn't an option for OOs. But, I don't understand why company drivers who drive OTR (Swift, Landstar, etc.), don't unionize. I was a Teamster once for UPS, and while it wasn't perfect, we had it better than any non-unionized competitor that I knew.

 

To be fair, I have worked within 2 unions in my life thus far. Teamsters, and some other one not worth mentioning.

You are correct. Surprisingly, and sadly, not all unions are worthy. That second union that I mentioned, was worthless.

 

A union, if ran correctly, creates a UNION. A united group of people. United we stand or divided we fall.

You are going to disagree with this, but after having worked numerous jobs in my life, with their own types of pay structure, I believe it best for people to be paid for the job that they do, and not the job that they can do. What I mean by that, is that if I am new to a specific job, and you have 20 years of experience, I believe we should both be paid the same as you and I are literally doing the same exact job. If a person wants to make more, they need to move up to a different job. But, more pay means more responsibility. And if a person doesn't care for that responsibility, then they need to accept being paid for the job that they are doing, and not the job that they can do.

Otherwise, you are going to have to deal with "performance" based raises, and "experience" based onboarding, which are all very subjective, and frustratingly subject to nepotism and favoritism.

Moving forward, I challenge you to do this the next time you get a chance...

When you see a UPS delivery driver in one of those brown vans, ask him how much his hourly rate is? He should give you a figure of about $40/hr, as his base rate. Time and a half for overtime is given. Not to mention, they get a really good pension and benefits package.

When you see a FedEx Ground delivery driver in one of those white vans, ask him how much his hourly rate is? He should say that he isn't paid by the hour, but instead by a fixed weekly rate. He should give you a figure of about $800/week. That equates to $20/hr. BUT, that is assuming he only works 40. They normally work more. But he is salaried, so it doesn't help. And because they are only "contracted" workers, no benefits whatsoever.

My point, is that those 2 guys literally do the same job. They literally do the same job! But because of unionization and its collective bargaining, UPS has managed to tell corporate America and its disgraceful wages to go duck itself. Whereas, the guys working for FedEx have no recourse, and instead have to accept whatever they are given, which isn't much.

I know this, because I used to be a Teamster with UPS. I was once a delivery driver. I left back in 2017; then, the top pay was $34.26/hr if I recall correctly. I've since moved on to put my formal education to use, but I have not forgotten the disparity that exists between unionized people, and non-unionized people.

If you can't tell, I hate how the world treats the working man. I was born working class. I'm not ashamed of it. And I believe the values and lessons I've learned along the way have forever made me a better person. But I don't want to stay working class, because I don't like how they treat us.