Random LTL Rants (all are welcomed)

I’m normally a P&D guy but I occasionally like to dab into linehaul once in awhile. My dispatcher finally let me have at it daytime while he’s out in Vegas partying. Anyway yesterday was fine. Today though...I have 2 runs to Chicago. I get to Chicago and explain to them I have another run coming back here. Linehaul dispatch was like “lol no, you’re going to Appleton.” I get to Appleton and told they wanna send me to Madison mt (probably to get freight from there). I told them no because they already screwed my day already so they send me back to my home terminal mt instead. My home terminal said if LH dispatch every tries to pull that #### again, to call the terminal and they’ll get it straightened out. Never was able to do my second Chicago run.

 

@road_runner I’ve dealt with this before in management, specifically with a union being involved, and oddly under a set of similar circumstances.

Going to management raises a different concern. Without knowing your contract or other specifics, does your contract require an employee to be in good standing with the union, and if he isn’t, the company is required to terminate him?

The concern I have for you is that you going directly to management could cost you your job, at least in the short term. Without knowing how your local operates, my concern is that if you were to go to management, would the union then consider you not in good standing for going against a union “brother”?

I think the correct play here is to get your business agent involved because if the steward is this guy’s actual buddy, you already have an uphill battle as well as a conflict of interest on the stewards part, especially if your coworker has significantly more seniority on you. Not that the offender's seniority counts for anything other than it may be a reflection of a long time bond where the two will actively protect each other. Involving the business agent hopefully brings an impartial voice to the mix on behalf of the union and can protect you in this.

If you don’t think that the BA involvement would help, then you have to at least give the TM a chance to fix this.

Fortunately, in this political climate, union or not, NO company wants to be seen as sympathetic to racism of any kind, and your coworker is potentially opening them up to a PR disaster, and potential civil liabilities. You may not actually be middle eastern, but this "person" is still exhibiting racist behavior against you. This may be the sole reason that the company could move in a harsh and swift direction against your coworker to protect you. Also, in addition to no company wanting to appear soft on handling internal issues of racism, they EQUALLY wouldn't want to have that same issue in harassment of combat veterans, especially given the position that your company has with transporting military freight.

I don’t think you are stuck, but unless you can articulate an immediate concern for your safety, I’d probably follow the chain of command, as well as have a notebook around to document things like witnesses, dates, times and what is said to you.

They union layer does complicate it, but not by a whole lot. You still have the right to work in an environment free of hostility or sexual harassment (these days the SH doesn’t even have to be sexual in nature, just harassing).

I really hope you get this figured out brother, no one deserves to have to deal with that stuff while trying to earn a living. Just be careful in what you say in any exchanges you have, which I know you are.

 

ill be completely honest with you if the union steward is friend with the guy then you need to get the union rep involved and corporate if you think the TM isn't going to do anything about this......

 

Set up a meeting at the local.
Your Steward,BA and local President
Make sure you got your documentation.
Tell them your story and where your next step will be if they don't get the point across to this person.
If you go to HR he will likely be terminated.
If you do as stated above in post #10485 the both of you will be likely be terminated.
Subject to the grievance panel decision for all of the above if push comes to shove.
By terminating the problem it frees the company from litigation
Good luck
Your TM is a POS if he has allowed this to even get to this point.

 

@road_runner

Maybe next time try to keep you phone out and secretly record any conversations that co-worker may have with you. Any proof will help.

 

Expectations by Gearjammin' Penguin posted Feb 20, 2021 at 5:21 PM

 

C

Contact your business agent, explain everything and definitely tell him you are a US Veteran. It really does matter. Let him know that your next call will be to HR. A good business agent will let the jackwads doing this know that in today’s environment even the strongest union won’t be able to keep their jobs should HR come down on them. Another option is to tell them point blank that you will deal with them directly and if they try to get between you and feeding your family, God help them. I don’t like anyone getting in my wallet and these ##@@ers are trying to get in your mind and your wallet.

 

the employer will not fire you because your reporting someone who is saying racist remarks to you, and even if they did you could sue the employer because that's discrimination and violates the Civil Rights Act of 1964.