ABF, Teamsters to Meet for 'Dialogue' - Page 3

tiredseat · 01-30-2010

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2631

Well just for starters I would say the elimination of all unprofitable accounts and a major reduction in the work force.

We already know that if the account is unprofitable they walk away from the account. How many times have we seen this happen and been told by the sales or management that it wasn't working so we walked away. On the major reduction in the work force what are you saying here that we are too heavy on the labor end. I would like to see ABF deliver all of their freight instead of giving this freight to what they call marketing partners. We at our terminal give freight away as close as twenty miles and then we go right thru those towns on some of our peddle runs. I have filed on this only to lose these as these were part of the agreements made with the union here to supposedly build up these towns or runs and use ABF people only to be told that this won't happen as it is much cheaper using these other people to deliver our freight. There are alot of things that can be changed and as Muler says we the employees need to be asked about some of the things we see going on and then they can use this info to see just where the company and the union sits on these decision making changes.

JohnnyRoadKing · 01-31-2010

This is not the total problem but if we are going to point fingers then we had better solve are own problems first! After all, these company are only here to make money and if we can't do it for them, then they are going to take action against us because **** flows down hill and we are at the bottom instead of the top where we belong. If we all do are part then we can beat the nonunion companies and grow are union with members and jobs putting our selves at the top as valuable assets to the entire industry! Not everyone is ****ing the dog but I'm sure we all have or know someone who is. We see the writing on the wall and Should realize that it is the time to show them what we are really made of and represent as a Team and Hopefully it's not too late! There's No I in Teamsters and there are too many Prima Donnas in the industry, destroying equipment and gear, lazy and don't want to work, playing the disability game, letting everyone carry their weight and losing lots of money for these companies! We should be Proud and Strive to be better than the rest, making The Teamsters a Professional and desired group! Man up and become part of the team, go the extra step to do it right and show them why we should be looked at as an investment, no matter the cost! When this is all over, DON'T GO BACK to the same old thing and we will take the industry for our own!

2631 · 01-31-2010

Quote:

Originally Posted by tiredseat

On the major reduction in the work force what are you saying here that we are too heavy on the labor end.

tiredseat, I'm not saying that at all. And I am not trying to say that the ABF NMFA Teamsters should or should not agree to any type of concessions or givebacks. Read my post again

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2631

Lets face reality here. Arkansas Best is not going to allow ABF to continue to lose money. Something will either have to happen with the NMFA or there will be major changes in how ABF conducts it's business.

Quote:

Originally Posted by tiredseat

And your view on this would be what?

You asked for my view. What do I know, I gave my opinion on what the newly promoted bean counters might do to earn their money. I doubt that they were put there because of their vast knowledge of the trucking industry. My guess would be that Arkansas Best has been working on contingency plans for well over a year now. I'm sure they realize that they will only get one shot at a vote from the Teamsters. I doubt that you will be revoting until you get it right.

I don't want to be the bad guy here but like I said "lets face reality". Regardless of what we may think ABF isn't making money on the freight we haul. Our rates have to be competitive with YRC & the non union carriers who's labor costs are much lower. And I haven't seen them walk away from any freight lately. It's been more like we have cut our rates & lost money just to keep the freight lanes moving.

ABF's RPM operation is costing them a fortune just to maintain service. And I can just imagine how many men are out on Workmans Compensation & TWRP because of injurys sustained during the Turnkey deliveries of exercise machines & pool tables etc.

You may not like what I post but someone should play "devil's advocate" instead of us all just pounding the key board and yelling HELL NO!

IMO the NMFA was given a death sentence the day brother Hoffa gave UPSF a stand alone contract. It would appear that ABF is the only thing keeping it on life support. I don't want to see them pull the plug. But lets face reality. How can it be business as usual when the rest of the industry has much lower labor costs?

dhord · 01-31-2010

How can you tell them not to vote for give backs when we at YRC have done it?????????.

MULER · 01-31-2010

You can not compare apples to oranges. When you view the numbers given out about ABF don't be completely fooled. Do you see the hundreds of millions they make a year on the upack and cubes. Now they talk of tonnage and load average. Here is just one example. Tonnage- do you know how much room a cube takes in a trailer and how much it reduces the load average of the trailers they are in? There is not a section of their monthly reports that tells all. You speak of the cost that they pay us Teamsters. How about the millions they spend on a third party company to harass the laid off Teamsters on unemployment that earned those benifits while making those hundreds of millions of profit for ABF. Yes I know that things should be discussed and looked at but make no mistake ABF is not in trouble. Hell our bosses just got something like a $400,000.00 raise. It is business my Brothers they are trying to TAKE as MUCH as they CAN from US and it is our duties to our families and our union to be diligent and stead fast in our up coming battle for the very futures of them all. And lets not talk about the way other Teamsters do their jobs. There is nothing we can do about the way they work so why bring it up. There is a contract and if they break it I am sure the company will be there to punish them. You have to go back to what Jesus said( Let those that have not sinned cast the first stone.) Have we not learned nothing from what happened at YRC ? No fighting against each other and your BROTHERS are not the ones trying to take form our families. ABF has already said threw their TM's that they are not opened to any giveback for ownership or stock to the Teamster members. So we are not good enough to share the profits but we are low enough to bare the burden. We have plenty of options so settle down and please stop talking of what we should give back it makes us look weak and scared. Some talk about the Teamsters who don't work as hard as they do. Well how about the supervisions who screw up and we have got to pay that price also. And as far as hauling non profitable freight. BS we don't they will go so low and then walk. We just walked from our biggest customer that has been on board for 15 years. YRC and Conway came in and under cut the rate and we walked. Now at the rate they chose to go they can in no way make money on the moves. But because of their money problems they need cash flow and that account pays quickly just what they need. We have always been at a wage disadvantage when dealing with the non unions so lets just keep doing our jobs and we will be just fine. And remember there are those of us who will make the union and company do the right and fair thing. I promise I will not lay down and roll over. And please don't panic until we see something in writing. And by the way if we get to put a person on the board will all you please ask that it be Muler. I think it is time corporate America gets MULED! YOUR BROTHER ALWAYS!

kgee · 02-02-2010

Quote:

Originally Posted by dhord

How can you tell them not to vote for give backs when we at YRC have done it?????????.

And where has it gotten all of you?

laidoffabfwife · 4 Days Ago

Does anyone know when this meeting is supposed to take place?

slavenomore · 4 Days Ago

Quote:

Originally Posted by MULER

You can not compare apples to oranges. When you view the numbers given out about ABF don't be completely fooled. Do you see the hundreds of millions they make a year on the upack and cubes. Now they talk of tonnage and load average. Here is just one example. Tonnage- do you know how much room a cube takes in a trailer and how much it reduces the load average of the trailers they are in? There is not a section of their monthly reports that tells all. You speak of the cost that they pay us Teamsters. How about the millions they spend on a third party company to harass the laid off Teamsters on unemployment that earned those benifits while making those hundreds of millions of profit for ABF. Yes I know that things should be discussed and looked at but make no mistake ABF is not in trouble. Hell our bosses just got something like a $400,000.00 raise. It is business my Brothers they are trying to TAKE as MUCH as they CAN from US and it is our duties to our families and our union to be diligent and stead fast in our up coming battle for the very futures of them all. And lets not talk about the way other Teamsters do their jobs. There is nothing we can do about the way they work so why bring it up. There is a contract and if they break it I am sure the company will be there to punish them. You have to go back to what Jesus said( Let those that have not sinned cast the first stone.) Have we not learned nothing from what happened at YRC ? No fighting against each other and your BROTHERS are not the ones trying to take form our families. ABF has already said threw their TM's that they are not opened to any giveback for ownership or stock to the Teamster members. So we are not good enough to share the profits but we are low enough to bare the burden. We have plenty of options so settle down and please stop talking of what we should give back it makes us look weak and scared. Some talk about the Teamsters who don't work as hard as they do. Well how about the supervisions who screw up and we have got to pay that price also. And as far as hauling non profitable freight. BS we don't they will go so low and then walk. We just walked from our biggest customer that has been on board for 15 years. YRC and Conway came in and under cut the rate and we walked. Now at the rate they chose to go they can in no way make money on the moves. But because of their money problems they need cash flow and that account pays quickly just what they need. We have always been at a wage disadvantage when dealing with the non unions so lets just keep doing our jobs and we will be just fine. And remember there are those of us who will make the union and company do the right and fair thing. I promise I will not lay down and roll over. And please don't panic until we see something in writing. And by the way if we get to put a person on the board will all you please ask that it be Muler. I think it is time corporate America gets MULED! YOUR BROTHER ALWAYS!

And 9 times out of ten..when a supervisor screws up it costs hundrds of times more than when we do..and they oftentimes try to pass it off on us..and the supervisors tend to screw up quite a bit..

crazy · 4 Days Ago

Quote:

Originally Posted by slavenomore

And 9 times out of ten..when a supervisor screws up it costs hundrds of times more than when we do..and they oftentimes try to pass it off on us..and the supervisors tend to screw up quite a bit..

stupidvisors never never make mistakes