| Author | Message | ||
     Tom_b |
This is serious B.S. that a company would leave their employees stranded 2 days before christmas http://www.businesspundit.com/arrow-trucking-lays- off-employees-by-stranding-them-at-truck-stops/ | ||
| Ferris_von_bueller |
Wow, some poor planning there. The owners couldn't see their financial destruction looming? | ||
| Just_ziptab |
And the brass is probably fleeing out the door with their pockets lined for a lifetime of easy living...........  | ||
| Tom_b |
http://www.kake.com/national/headlines/80082842.ht ml | ||
| Tom_b |
Whats even worse is Diamler, the finance company that actually owns the trucks is the only ones that seem to give a crap about these guys | ||
| Paw |
If these guys were union operators the company could have never done that they would have had to give the workers 30 days notice...That's all I will say about that!!! Seeing how there are many non union folks on here!!! P.S. Don't even bother saying the company would not have made it as far as they did with the teamsters...It all comes down to the way a business is managed...I can name you dozens of big trucking companies who are unionized and doing fine...Because of good management!!! (Message edited by paw on December 24, 2009) | ||
| Court |
>>>they would have had to give the workers 30 days notice. That has nothing to do with being union or non-union. It . . . . like all other topics related to conditions of employment is a subject of the specific agreement an employee works under. Varies by jurisdiction and trade. See the W.A.R.N. Act. | ||
| Tom_b |
So true Court..What would the union have done even if they were union. Strike or boycott a company that no longer exists | ||
| Myzen |
It was all over the news here (Tulsa) yesterday. Showed a bunch of tractors being towed out by a repo company. | ||
| Badlionsfan |
30 day notice is bs. Labor day, 2002 consolidated freightways (cf) employees got a phone call from a recording telling them that cf was done and thanked them for their service. CF was a teamster company and the 3rd largest freight company in the US. Alvan Motor Freight was shut down last year, no notice. Also a teamster (not in the master freight agreement tho) company. Up next is likely to be YRC (formerly Yellow and roadway, also includes New Penn, USF Holland and USF reddaway). They are in deep trouble, will require a christmas miracle to see 2010. If they don't pass a bond for equity swap by the 28th with at least 80% approval, liquidation of assets will be unavoidable, costing nearly 30,000 jobs between the teamster drivers and dock workers and non union office and management staff. | ||
| Paw |
>>>they would have had to give the workers 30 days notice. That has nothing to do with being union or non-union. Court are you a union man and or ever worked for a union company? I have worked in three different unions and each one had a 30 day notice for any closures...My father was a truck driver for 40+ years. 30 of them in the teamsters and each of the 3 teamster jobs he had, they had and notice before a closing.I will bet over 90 percent of all unions negotiate that in their contracts. I was in the Machinist, UAW and now the AFL-CIO we have a 30 day closure clause in all three...Most of the unions out there have it...and if these guys had one non of them would be stranded out there 2 days before Christmas because chances are they would have negotiated and closing clause to give them warning of a lost job...That is my point. | ||
| Badlionsfan |
Paw, name me more than 3 big teamsters trucking companies doing well. I assure you that you can't do it. I'm not anti-union, in fact I'm a union steward for my company. I'm in agreement that management is the biggest problem when companies go under. No union contract has ever gone thru with out the company signing off on it, so to blame a union is nuts. In the case of YRC, the Teamsters did tell Yellow to run out and put them selves in major debt to buy Roadway and USF. Management did it all by themselves. | ||
| Iamarchangel |
Union protection is not total protection. Court is right in that it depends on what the contract says. A union worker does have a better chance in court because union carries more rights than non-union (usually). However, the reality here is that there is nothing left to get. My last job, the owner got great press because he went around and told all the workers to get their tools out to the street before the sheriff came in. What the paper didn't print was that it was a three shift operation and the other two shifts had to wait months before tool ownership was cleared up for them. I had already left. I was the outdoor forklift operator. There's only so many times you can see a load driver wait for their head office to accept a payment before unloading. The writing on the wall becomes very clear. Too bad for these guys. And shame on their (mis)managers for letting things get so bad that they couldn't provide separation. | ||
| Ferris_von_bueller |
If you can't make it as a non-union company competing against union companies you're a serious loser and don't deserve to be in business. | ||
| Badlionsfan |
Well to be fair arrow was a flat bed company Otr carrier, and there are no union flat bed companies so they weren't in competition with any union carriers. Fact of the matter is no trucking companies are doing that great right now. The economy has hit us all pretty hard. Companies that were doing great before are making it, and companies that were just gettin by before are in trouble. Many have closed up over the last few years, and there will be more. There's simply more trailers than freight, which drives down rates. Things won't get better until there is a lot more freight or less trucks available. Supply vs demand, that simple. | ||
| Leroysch |
Wow....I started at Arrow as a company driver in 1997, leased on to them in 1999..and moved on in 2003. In fact, I'm sitting here wearing one of their "Safe Driver Award" shirts. The drivers/shop personnel all reflected the storied "Protestant work ethic", took pride in a job well done be it changing a tire to getting a load down the road safely and on time. That always amazed me, given the patronizing manner office personnel treated the worker bees. I can't imagine the frustration these guys/gals must be feeling, stuck away from home particularly at this time of year...watching their fuel gauges head towards empty trying to stay warm. It's a bunch of crap, to put it politely. So much for the "family atmosphere" attached to a lot of marketing for OTR drivers. What a bunch of crap, putting it politely. I believe I'll be heading out to the local Flying J, Love's, and Petro (don't know where their current fuel cards are good at)and see if I can lend a hand. | ||
| Tom_b |
I posted this originally because it was a •••••• situation right before christmas for 900 people most likely have families to support. I didn't really want it to turn to a union/non union argument. Just if you have a spare prayer tonight remember these poor guys. Like Leroysch is doing. I also hope none of them is caught in the storms ripping thru kansas, oklahoma, texas and missouri. (Message edited by tom_b on December 24, 2009) | ||
| Petereid |
Give credit to the other trucking companies offering rides to drivers and doing what they can to get the stranded drivers home. They have a facebook page now to try and help get everyone home | ||
| Court |
>>>Court are you a union man and or ever worked for a union company? Yes. (Message edited by court on December 24, 2009) | ||
| Rickie_d |
As my 18-month old grandson would say "Oh My!", Papa! You didn't see that one coming guys!!!! | ||
| Jasonnennig |
Court, Please...Take it easy on the man. It's Christmas time! I know I'm doing my best to just chill out a bit, when irritated by certain people on BadWeb. It's not worth it...  | ||
| J2blue |
God bless each and every one of the drivers and other workers. Damn the owners all to hell, though. I learned about this time last year that the trucking business is in the hands of the biggest bunch of yahoos we've seen since the West was wild. The majority of the trucking companies are run by people who are bad evidence for laissez-faire economics. Just like Harley, damn it. I think the business was far healthier when the ratio of thriving independent owner-operators was much higher. If the average driver for Arrow looks any thing like what I saw last winter at England Trucking in Salt Lake, then they are a lot to be pitied. Some got themselves into a mess out of naivete, others felt compelled to deal with the devil because of other misfortune, and yet more just flunked common sense. But none of them deserved to be dumped on. There isn't much left in the trucking industry that is professional any more. Professions put responsibility above personal fortune and ruthlessly police themselves. Yack phewey!!! Just a bad taste. | ||
| Mr1spd |
I read thru all this and hate to see companies close. I hate to see bad stuff happen to people as we all do. I also see that we all did it too ourselves. We have lost so much manufacturing here that it has taken a toll on our economy. So next time you buy something take a look where it was made, it would make you sick. When a business closes it affects more than that business. How much of an impact did East Troy have since Buell has closed? I understand this is off topic a bit but needs to be said. | ||
| Mr_grumpy |
I had that happen to me back end of the 80s working for a small haulier. There were 4 of us parked up in Scotland, wasn't Christmas or anything, with invalid fuel cards & 2 weeks pay in arrears. We were just providing traction so we had no semis to worry about. In the end we drained all the fuel out of 3 other units into mine & we took it in turns driving to get back to the yard. Got there just in time to find the bailiffs trying to impound our personal vehicles in the car park. You can imagine the scene. The boss/owner ended up being bodily put up against a wall & searched as was his wife's Range Rover. There was enough cash to pay us all in his pockets alone, so we divvied it up & he drove home with two black eyes. He tried a couple of times to start up again, but there's no secrets in the transport business & he ended up legging it to Spain last I heard. My best to all those affected. | ||
| Hughlysses |
Great story Innes. Glad things like this work out "correctly" on occasion. | ||
| Luftkoph |
oh the beauty of the deregulation of freight rates has had on trucking and the airlines also. | ||
| Rainman |
Remember ladies and gents, the company will take care of you, so be sure to be loyal. Be as loyal to it as it is to you. | ||
| Spatten1 |
Great story Innes!!!! | ||
| Paw |
Quote>>>"Paw, name me more than 3 big teamsters trucking companies doing well. I assure you that you can't do it." Badlionsfan...here are four I know have turn profit in 2008. 1. UPS 2. ABF Trucking 3. Con-way freight 4. DHL freight...This company has really started to show it self the last few years. Here is what I am talking about USF Hollands teamsters had a 30 day change of operation which USF wanted the teamster to waive the 30 days. Here is a short paragraph about it. "Teamsters at USF Holland are awaiting word on what rights they will have to follow the work. An emergency Change of Operations hearing will be held on March 25 in Philadelphia. The company is requesting that the union waive the 30 day notification requirement before a Change of Operations." And the link to the whole article. http://www.tdu.org/node/2917 And with Arrow not being union they did not have to give notice and left those guys stranded...Which is the whole subject here..A negotiated 30 or 60 day agreement for closures or moving of work would have kept those guys from being stranded. And Ferris is right Quote>>>"If you can't make it as a non-union company competing against union companies you're a serious loser and don't deserve to be in business." | ||
| Badlionsfan |
Paw, you know nothing. Con-Way is non union and has been since day 1. Dhl? Are you serious? They never made any money when they tried to bring their parcel business to the states. They have pulled back out of the US domestic shipping market. Oh and btw, they were not fully union. Each of their terminals was independently owned and operated. A few of their locations had white paper contracts, but most didn't. I understand a change of opperations when terminals close up or freight is re-routed. I'm telling you, there's no way a trucking company is gonna give a 30 day notice that they're shutting down. All the drivers would quit, the customers would all bail. Trucking companies are service providers, not manufactures of anything. A 30 day notice would kill any hope of a last minute deal to save the company, as the customer base would be gone. Back to arrow, like I said in an earlier post, they really didn't compete against any union carriers as there aren't any union flat bed companies. |
