Reddaway Contract 2019 Join the Conversation!

LOL!!! Aren't you the guy living in a hotel with his family after driving thousands of miles to make a 'cold start' in NC driving a box truck? For real?!?! LOL!!!!

 

Hotel sucks but on the bright side we didn't get our cars broken into yet. They do tend to randomly shut off the water on us and there is one drug dealer that lives next to us that stays outside till 3 AM yelling on the phone.

All hotel aside, my new job is actually cake. I get treated nicely, drive brand new equipment, and work reasonable hours. Yes, I make less. But I also work less hours and get to spend more time with my family. We do run combination vehicles but their driving spots are currently filled.

Embracing the suck until I get my house closed on, then we are moving to the higher end side of town.

 

Had I stayed there, I would have considered writing a union just based on working confitions.

No way would they unionize a five person terminal. I can't think it would be worth their time .

 

Get the job through a temp service? Hauling pharmaceuticals - dialysis supplies? Just curious.

 

And here I thought Reddaway was union. Not that it matters as I retired from a union shop. Good medical and retirement but the pay and working conditions were poor. The high end non-union LTL in the SE US do quite well from what I understand. As soon as they bust the few remaining LTL union shops the non union shops will go straight to hell because of 'diversity and inclusion'.

 

That's exactly what I ended up with. I haul flooring products

 

Reddaway is more or less union.... More in some areas, less in other parts of the country.

You can't beat their pay and medical. But the way they treat their drivers is definitely among the worst I've ever seen.

 

I won't say who I worked for as to not blow my cover. The field I retired from had excellent pay, retirement, medical, working conditions, pretty much everything from its start in the 1930s up through the 90s. No turnover and everything was IBT (Teamster). During the '90s, new players showed up, brought in different unions, cut prices and everything began to snowball downhill. Huge turnover to the point outside private contractors were brought in.

My employer actually shut down its hiring program multiple times because people were leaving faster than they could be hired. Our best paying work was contracted out and our pay collapsed. We managed to keep our medical and retirement but little to nothing else. I've never seen more trainers in one company that needed a serious ### kicking (or worse). Did I mention shills? Thinking this one company keeps the entire shilling business afloat.

And yet, this employer is considered the best in this field to work for - truly incredible - worked for them nearly two decades. I began having medical issues, mostly employment related, several years back but failed to do anything about them as I incorrectly assumed it was due to aging. Ended up under emergency medical care, hired a worker's comp attorney, won my case and retired. Now, I just hobble around the house with a cane and/or walker and do as little as possible. Fortunately, I'm blessed with family and grandchildren who either visit me or I make the trip(s).

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Advice to those with medical issues: get'em taken care of ASAP and if they are employment related DON'T be afraid to turn them in under Worker's Comp. You stand a very real chance of being unable to work, with no income or benefits and no recourse if you are afraid to stand up for yourself. Many people, unfortunately, are afraid to 'rock the boat'. Your employer doesn't give a #### about you - don't kid yourself. A 53yo neighbor was in this boat and passed away recently - sad and pathetic.

 

Thanks for sharing that . Lot of good advice and information in there .

I really don't have much of an opinion on unions. Personally I would be reluctant to join one. If you don't like your pay or benefits, you are free to work elsewhere. I just think an employer should be able to hire who they want and compensate them with pay and benefits of their choosing. I do think it is wrong to be forced into a union as a condition of employment.

As for them protecting their workers for unfair treatment, I think that is where they would be more handy. It would have been nice to have someone watch out for me when I was mistreated.

Granted, I would have eventually quit anyway. I moved so I could be closer to my aging parents. My dad loves his new born grankid. Seeing him so happy is worth my current situation with being stuck in a hotel.

 

Dunno where you're staying, but Extended Stay America, Candlewood, and others have kitchens and offer monthly rates and usually are safer. Sign up for their newsletter on a spam email account and get 20-40% off coupon codes. There are also agents that offer "executive housing" for corporate projects. If the parking lot looks a little empty, the manager might play let's make a deal as well.