How Do Truckers Join a Union?

When you retire,

that retirement check from the Union will make it all worthwhie.

If social security ended tomarrow, my life wouldn't change one bit.

 

You have to work for a company thst is unionized. Drivers just cant become a union member without working for a organized company. I work for a company that is teamsters. biggest advantage is the health insurance not much difference in payscale pay from union driver or not.

 

I have an OTR job that is union they are it there you just have to look. If your down south or out west it might b hard o find. Not hard up here in jersey.

 

A buddy of mine is Union driver at a large national company he thinks its the best thing in the world, I worked across the street from him at a non-union company. I made more an hour than him, my benefits were by far superior with the exception of his PTO. When I had a problem I could go directly to management or a superior and not go through a union steward. The recession hit, his union had to re-negotiate during it. They took a large hit to pay and benefits. I got a raise during that time and they are still not back to where they were and will still be another few years. He pays union dues and the union constantly pushes him to vote a certain way. (We all know what way they push.)

Now on the flip side, if there was a big safety concern they could strike with little fear of retaliation. I would have certainly been replaced at the drop of a hat. Many union outfits do have magnificently better retirement packages. (These do tend to put stress on companies and push them towards bankruptcy in hard times.)

I do think that if more states were Right to Work there would be less unionized shops because the true need for them has gone to the wayside. If the pay stinks, show your power by moving on. Now other industries I can clearly see the need but trucking not so much, much of the industry is small independents.

 

I see what you are saying MNoutkast about the right to work states . But consider this . If in the future all the union shops were eliminated do you think that the wages and benefits would continue to rise ?. Not to mention workplace heath and safety issues . Perhaps some places would be fine but I think that wages etc will start to decline in alot of other places. I doubt that we have to worry about this "today " but the future of our children and grandchildren may greatly deteriorate. Alot of non union places pay well and have decent benefits just for the simple reason that it is easier to pay accordingly than have to deal with all the issues that are associated with a union workforce.

 

That's what drives my company to compensate well. Although, I don't think they would drastically change with no unions around in their particular case, the increases would slow. It was actually brought up quickly when I started working there and they weren't afraid to compare compensation and benefits, and basically reveal they pay to keep the unions out. Same thing at a factory I once worked at.

I don't think it's that big of a problem for a former union driver to find a job at a non-union place either. We have a lot of former union members. Now, a place that knows they pay crap and treat their drivers like crap probably won't because those drivers will recognize that the company is crap right away. If a place won't hire a former union worker it's probably not a great place to work. People claim all union workers are lazy and it's not true. I can't think of any job I've worked at that didn't have plenty of lazy people working there. I can think of plenty of former union and non-union workers that that work harder than most. Lazy is the norm everywhere these days but hard workers still exist.

I've never been union but have no problems with them. It's just another choice out there and to me that's never a bad thing. Union companies fail, non-union companies fail. Bad business decisions are not limited to one or the other.

 

That's what drives my company to compensate well. Although, I don't think they would drastically change with no unions around in their particular case, the increases would slow. It was actually brought up quickly when I started working there and they weren't afraid to compare compensation and benefits, and basically reveal they pay to keep the unions out. Same thing at a factory I once worked at.

Agreed DirtyBob. They definately let it be known what their compensation packages are and you cannot blame them for that.

 

Out here in Cali there aren't many. YRC, ABF might take you with no experience. Reddaway which is owned by YRC has been voting in the teamsters. Coke is Teamsters as well as US Foods and I think Sysco. Used to be a lot more but they are all gone.

 

GSF and some smaller companies that are union there. Used to run into guys from a liquor distribution company that were union down in Riverside all the time.

 

One of my first shop jobs had a true workers union....the way unions ought to be in my opinion. No large outside influence just the 10 or so guys in the shop plus the greasers and washers. No dues, meetings every few months unless there was a need for one sooner. Best of all NO POLITICS. If unions were that way still and I am sure there are a few I would consider working for an outfit with a union. I think the implementation of OSHA and ISO standards has negated the need for unions on a safety level, at least in many industries. Now put me in an underground mine or working high steel and you can bet your butt I believe in unions!