UNION JOBS

Every contract is a little different. Your company can explain the particulars to you.
Talk to your terminal manager and talk to the other drivers.

 

When you hear talk of bidding by seniority that usually means on the runs for the day. The guys that have been there the longest get to "bid" on their run 1st. There's always exceptions and every company does it a little different, but that's the jist of it.

The extra board is the runs that didn't get bid on (for various reasons) or it's where drivers that they don't have a run for get assigned to. Could be dock work, could be a later run, could be a combo of dock/warehouse work and some driving.

It sounds complicated but it's very easy. You'll have the system at your place down in a week or so

 

A union driving job is like haveing pre paid labor to protect your job. Do your job and not much difference, but get in trouble and use the grevience process to protect your job get an issue resolved or get wages due to them shorting your paycheck. The small amout of union dues gets returned quickly by being paid for delay time, or layover. Each situation is different, but lesrn the rules and act accordingly. NEVER put another Union member in a bad situation, stick together as brothers.

 

Lots of politics and dramac I'm union jobs from my experience. You are stuck in middle between company and union. The company hates the union and the union hates the company. I found it to be stressful because I simply want to come to work do my job and go home. The union is very political and pushes you to vote their way. Lots of propaganda. You will not fully understand the union until you are in the in one. I do not miss the union. I have been recruited back by some and have zero interest. If looking at teamsters keep in my the central states pension is shot.

Oh and the "union brotherhood" sounds good on paper but they will stab you in the back.

 

The unions do push you to typically vote Democrat, so I vote the opposite. Plenty of pros and cons. I've been with the same union shop 6 years and have never even met my business agent, our dues are just a money grab for our local.

 

Accurate info here, except for the "dues every check" comment. Most dues come out only 1 time per month (usually the first check of the first full week of the month).

 

Curious on how they "push you to vote Democrat"? Obviously your BA doesn't tell you that, since you've never talked to him. Do they tell you to do that at the monthly membership meetings? The subject of politics is generally avoided at our gatherings. I'm a Teamster, they endorse certain candidates (typically Democrat) but nobody has ever "pushed" me to vote a certain way.

 

I was in a union for a non-driving job and the company I currently work for is in the process of joining a union. If you do your job and don't overstep your boundaries (ie doing work that "belongs" to another worker or profession) you shouldn't have an issue.

 

In order to truly understand and benefit from being in a union you need to be a little more involved than you would in a non union job. Don't be afraid to make your face and voice heard to your business agents and stewardship. I've worked for 4 non union carriers and 2 union, don't think i can see myself going back to non union. Other than that if you are a hard worker you have nothing to worry about.
As stated above bidding is just being able to pick and choose your work for the week / year and is seniority based. Longevity = better bids.

 

They hang up fliers at work on our union board with their endorsements, also at my last union job a few BA's came in and pushed their political agenda on us during the 2008 elections.