need good advice

[rich g]

i have been a dues paying member for about six years now. i drive tractor trailer truck in the highway construction field. my situation is i have no benefits and no backing or support from my local union reps! what good is a contract if no one will enforce it unless i file a greivance? i have already been threatend with my job if i do file then what? i can not afford to be unemployed and if i would lose my job the union will definatley turn their back on me!!

[IBTshirts]

Welcome to Teamstersonline Rich. I understand your perception that the contract doesnt get enforced unless a grievance is filed. There are some BA's that believe that if you arent raising a big enough deal it must be a no harm no foul situation, I cant speak about yours, never heard anything negative about 525. But I can tell you this with confidance - your Union will not turn their backs on you if you lose your job for filing paper. They will be right there with you filing that ULP for unlawful termination/retaliation.

[Dirtball]

Rich g you just received some great info but I would add this.If your job is such a hassle I think I would look for employment elsewhere in the industry.You say you have about six years in the union then you should not have a problem getting on with another outfit as long as you have a fairly clean record..I am not sure what the job market is in your area for drivers but here in the Central Pennsylvania area drivers are needed by a lot of company's but you have to be clean in order to get hired. When I say clean I mean driving wise and have a fairly stable working record. (Not a lot of mark offs or sick time)..
Good luck and welcome to the boards. This is the correct place for answers..Lots of great folks who are willing to help you with suggestions to solving your problems.

[rich g]

i can say i have been in this line of work since i was 18. i started out in a tandem and when i turned 21 i moved up to a tractor trailer. i have no points on my license and no accidents. i know i could just pack up and get a different job tomorrow but i am a single father raising two boys(with no support from their mother or any other) and my job is right here in town (4 blocks from my house). i love what i do and i was raised up in this business my father done the same thing and was a union driver for over 30 years before he retired. i just wish i had more support and faith in my b.a.

[Dirtball]

OK, Lets try this and see where it takes us..
Give us an example of a problem you are having and what your BA or your Steward has done or not done about it.

[Tommy]

My contract is horrible. There is no pension, instead we have a company matching 401k,(we know how good those are, just look at the stock market). Our pay is not up to scale with what the Local pays for tanker drivers(Local 282's b-contract is for about 23-24 per hr, we are well under that) and our benefits are through the company which is being increased whenever you turn around and no dental. I went to my business agent to see maybe if there was something that he could possibly do as far as him knowing if any one else in the Local maybe looking for a driver, he said that there was nothing he could do. At this point I feel like I'm wasting money and paying dues for no reason at all, the only ones making out at this point is the Local. I'm from Local 282 on Long Island, New York. At this point I'm thinking hard at turning my back on the Local much like I feel they have done to me and go to another Local. If I'm going to pays dues, I want to benefit as well from my hard work. The only thing we get out of the deal is a little representation that the BA doesn't want to deal with, No pension, no inuity, no daily overtime, no teamsters health care. I could go to a non-union company and get what I'm getting where I presently work. So I ask, what is the point for the Union IF you can't utilize them? I always thought that unions(specifically Teamsters) were for the worker and not the employer. It seens to me it is the other way around.