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XPO | Xpo Union Thread.

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Puff Driver said:
If a union member dies before they retire most often they only receive 60 pension payments unless they have made some other arrangement. The rest of the $$$ goes back to the fund.
You are always better off taking care of your self...
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If I die my wife revives 100% of my retirement money. That a lot more money then 60 pension payments
 
ED FORCE ONE said:
I see help wanted on them runs looks like some are a 45 hour week in and out quick set run no extra suprises
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I heard the same thing. The one guy I know that check it out said he would know what runs he would be getting and there would be no surprise last minute via's like the FAC like to do. Also no dock work
 
sucker666 said:
Most people take survivorship benefits which guarantees less payout over the years in trade fo benefits extending to their spouse.
A defined benefits pension is payed out as long as you or spouse are alive. 10 or 100yrs it still pays . Even in market downturns.
With a 401k you could potentially outlive your nest egg or loose a good amount in a market downturn if YOU don’t mange it properly.
Defined benefits plane is All paid by the employer.
401k is paid by you with a small employer match as compared to a pension.
The ideal situation is to have both.

Their are pros and cons to both.
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You pick what type of pay out from the pension you want just before you retire. So if he die while working he hasn't pick his pay out yet so how could his wife get survivorship payout?
 
Question for all the die hard union supporters that work here, why did you apply at a non union company with no contract regardless of how good it was here? You still didn't have the protection of a contract and knew anything could be changed and you couldn't do anything about it.
 
TruckinGod77 said:
Question for all the die hard union supporters that work here, why did you apply at a non union company with no contract regardless of how good it was here? You still didn't have the protection of a contract and knew anything could be changed and you couldn't do anything about it.
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For me , a lot closer to home . I was told the insurance is so so the 1st year but after that it’s really good . Kick myself in the ass daily for giving up what I had and coming here once I found out the insurance still sucks the 2nd , 3rd , 4th year and so on . My advice to anyone thinking of coming on is to MAKE SURE you know up front everything that’s important to you . Hopefully they will be honest with any questions you have .
 
TruckinGod77 said:
Question for all the die hard union supporters that work here, why did you apply at a non union company with no contract regardless of how good it was here? You still didn't have the protection of a contract and knew anything could be changed and you couldn't do anything about it.
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I can only speak for myself and say that in 2010, I applied to Conway and a dozen other companies. None replied. I knew one of the Conway TM's in New Jersey and he pointed me to the HR guy in Elmsford, NY. Essentially, I pestered him until he agreed to hire me. That was in Brooklyn/Queens. Ironically, my original transfer was to be Pompano, but Miami opened up first and I took it. Had I transferred to Pompano, we probably wouldn't even be having this discussion right now.

That was Conway. Miami's initial interest in unionization was spurred on by two things: The movement in Laredo and an overbearing TM, who handed out LOI's like candy at Halloween. The pressure was intense. I was involved from day one, mainly because my coworkers asked me to be. I wasn't completely on board with all that was going on, although I still felt it was the right thing to do.

It was after the XPO acquisition that I realized we had made the right decision. Xpo continues to prove almost daily that they have no intention of considering anything but their bottom line. It's impossible NOT to see where they are going here. If you don't see it, either you are blind, or you are lying to yourself. I have asked before and I'll ask again, "Name ONE specific reason why any blue collar working man or woman would be opposed to being represented by a union."

The corruption no longer exists as it did 50 years ago. There are a few instances to be fair, but no more than any other business of governmental organization. AND, it is no longer tolerated as it was back then. So, that excuse won't fly.

They just want my money is more bullshit. Look at ABF and UPS compensation packages. They blow us out of the water. Just the health care alone is worth 10X dues for some people. Please don't even mention YRC as they have been mismanaged so badly over the years, that their financial position can't be compared to any other carrier on the road today. About 17 dollars a week for job insurance and benefits we at XPO can only dream about.

I'm such a good employee so I'll never need the grievance and arbitration process or Weingarten or any help from anyone. The company will take care of me. There are too many guys at the unemployment office right now who thought the same thing. Wake up and smell the coffee. The industry as we knew it is about to take a 180 degree turn and you'll be left behind.
 
TruckinGod77 said:
Question for all the die hard union supporters that work here, why did you apply at a non union company with no contract regardless of how good it was here? You still didn't have the protection of a contract and knew anything could be changed and you couldn't do anything about it.
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I applied to ABF, Roadway, Yellow, New Penn, and CF. CF and New Penn said they could hire me as a spare (or whatever they called it) and both said 'maybe 20 hrs' per week. Couldn't do it, needed to make some steadier money.

CCX hired me full time. Even a couple union guys I knew said it was a good move. And it was. For a while.
 
TruckinGod77 said:
Question for all the die hard union supporters that work here, why did you apply at a non union company with no contract regardless of how good it was here? You still didn't have the protection of a contract and knew anything could be changed and you couldn't do anything about it.
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Well,just like you I guess you could say we were gullible. We were lured in with the promise that this would be , and I quote what the company line WAS back then “ this is a place.you can retire from” . We HAD everything the union guys had and back then maybe a bit more.
I didn’t break my promise. I continued to work hard and still do . Little by little both Con-way and Now Xpo continue to take . Good workers are terminated for less than cardinal infractions.
So I have invested a bunch of years here , have seniority ( for what it’s worth here ) and many weeks vacation. The only logical step for us was to fight to stop the bleeding and that was not an easy decision. The company could turn things around at any point but they choose to fight and continue to take . I guess the next logical question from me ,who has many more years here than you and has experienced it first hand ,why do you tolerate it ?
 
The interesting question is "Why don't you fools just go hire on at a union outfit?"

My answer would be because the industry colluded to make it extremely painful for somebody like me to change jobs within the industry.

I'm at top rate, have the earliest peddle time, never work the dock, get solid hours, my own pump jack and dolly, seniority for vacations, etc. Hell, I have my own dedicated tractor in a city bid. Nobody else has driven it in three years unless I'm out for some reason.

I'd lose every single one of those things if I moved somewhere. I have a family, house, etc, and while I could make due with a certain amount less per week, I can't really work at night, spare, or take a pay cut and work 30 hours.

This collusion is one of the primary reasons we can't seem to hire experienced driver over here (at my termina), despite having desperate need. If they have experience, then they have seniority, top rate, etc.
 
TruckinGod77 said:
Question for all the die hard union supporters that work here, why did you apply at a non union company with no contract regardless of how good it was here? You still didn't have the protection of a contract and knew anything could be changed and you couldn't do anything about it.
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I didn't want to work in a union shop because I've had bad experiences with UAW at a job I worked when I was younger, I didn't like their attitudes. They seemed too worried about their union and not worried enough getting the work done they were being paid to do. Combine that experience with what I've heard about Teamster jobs, like having to work the dock for a few years before ever seeing the inside of a truck....well that just wasn't for me. I joined Con-Way for better or for worse. The company might crap on some people and not others, some of us have good bosses and some of us have crappy bosses. Myself, I have a good boss, a good start time, and good extra responsibility as a trainer. I like it right where I'm at and honestly if others are unhappy that's not my problem.
 
ScotchNeat said:
I didn't want to work in a union shop because I've had bad experiences with UAW at a job I worked when I was younger, I didn't like their attitudes. They seemed too worried about their union and not worried enough getting the work done they were being paid to do. Combine that experience with what I've heard about Teamster jobs, like having to work the dock for a few years before ever seeing the inside of a truck....well that just wasn't for me. I joined Con-Way for better or for worse. The company might crap on some people and not others, some of us have good bosses and some of us have crappy bosses. Myself, I have a good boss, a good start time, and good extra responsibility as a trainer. I like it right where I'm at and honestly if others are unhappy that's not my problem.
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Fair enough, I never thought that everyone would jump on board. I also never thought it would be such a struggle to get 50% either. I'd just like to ask you one question. I am assuming you have seen the Team Care health plan and understand the difference between Team Care and Cigna. If so, and jumping on board gave you the better health care plan, would you vote yes? Just curious.
 
Tao said:
The interesting question is "Why don't you fools just go hire on at a union outfit?"

My answer would be because the industry colluded to make it extremely painful for somebody like me to change jobs within the industry.

I'm at top rate, have the earliest peddle time, never work the dock, get solid hours, my own pump jack and dolly, seniority for vacations, etc. Hell, I have my own dedicated tractor in a city bid. Nobody else has driven it in three years unless I'm out for some reason.

I'd lose every single one of those things if I moved somewhere. I have a family, house, etc, and while I could make due with a certain amount less per week, I can't really work at night, spare, or take a pay cut and work 30 hours.

This collusion is one of the primary reasons we can't seem to hire experienced driver over here (at my termina), despite having desperate need. If they have experience, then they have seniority, top rate, etc.
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The suggestion to leave and go work someplace else is just as bogus as the corruption argument. It doesn't make much sense to me to allow all these companies to continue to chip away at what was once a great career choice for a blue collar guy without a formal education. It was a first class ticket into the middle class. Any one who raised children will agree that if you allow bad behavior and do nothing to curtail it, it will only get worse. That's what is happening now. They will continue to take until some one says enough. Why not take a chance? What have you got to lose? If it fails, you go right back to where you were, but if it succeeds, the benefits are well worth the effort.
 
cavscoutdad said:
That's the Fed-Ex Ground model. Every body is a contractor or works for a contractor. The company bears no cost for any employee costs. They pay the contractor and the contractor bears the costs of operation.
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Isn’t California looking into the legalities of that practice?
 
Fly-by-night said:
You pick what type of pay out from the pension you want just before you retire. So if he die while working he hasn't pick his pay out yet so how could his wife get survivorship payout?
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I was about to type the same thing, fly. Although I kinda knew what my monthly benefit was going to be, there were several options on the form to choose from. Nine total choices from what I recall. Three were moot, as they were ‘participant only’ choices.
 
Trucker 206 said:
Isn’t California looking into the legalities of that practice?
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In California, there are issues with the Port drivers. I believe these are the guys who pick up Ocean freight full containers off the sea ports and deliver to local Container Freight Stations for break bulk and distribution. They guys get hammered by not just XPO , but other companies , as well. They lease/purchase their tractors from these companies, but are obliged to buy all their fuel, tires and maintenance from the company. I think they buy their insurance from them too. They are misclassified as IC's , so the company doesn't even pay workmens comp, disability, social security or medicare. No PTO and no vacations. Some of these guys were working 60 hour weeks and receiving a check for less that $200 bucks, after the company deducted expenses. You have to google California Port Drivers and you'll be amazed at what these people get away with.
 
Hollywoodz said:
In California, there are issues with the Port drivers. I believe these are the guys who pick up Ocean freight full containers off the sea ports and deliver to local Container Freight Stations for break bulk and distribution. They guys get hammered by not just XPO , but other companies , as well. They lease/purchase their tractors from these companies, but are obliged to buy all their fuel, tires and maintenance from the company. I think they buy their insurance from them too. They are misclassified as IC's , so the company doesn't even pay workmens comp, disability, social security or medicare. No PTO and no vacations. Some of these guys were working 60 hour weeks and receiving a check for less that $200 bucks, after the company deducted expenses. You have to google California Port Drivers and you'll be amazed at what these people get away with.
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Unfortunately Trumps new labor board picks (Republicans) just handed handed down some decisions in favor of the employers in this classification topic.
 
Hollywoodz said:
The suggestion to leave and go work someplace else is just as bogus as the corruption argument. It doesn't make much sense to me to allow all these companies to continue to chip away at what was once a great career choice for a blue collar guy without a formal education. It was a first class ticket into the middle class. Any one who raised children will agree that if you allow bad behavior and do nothing to curtail it, it will only get worse. That's what is happening now. They will continue to take until some one says enough. Why not take a chance? What have you got to lose? If it fails, you go right back to where you were, but if it succeeds, the benefits are well worth the effort.
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Believe it or not there are some people that actually like working here. Sure it's not perfect but some people realize it's worse at other companies. That's why the union hasn't gained traction here
 
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