So you want to join a union

[snw blue by you]

Read this morning about PTS (Leaseway Trans) filing chapter 7 ending all operations, so I checked it out on the web.

Interesting how the union members (Teamsters) just fucked themselves outta' a job. Brilliant!

 

America's second-largest hauler of new vehicles and operated under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The company anticipated negotiating a long-term contract during that time, but the Teamsters instead went on strike Monday. -- The Associated Press" More on the PTS bankruptcy filing.

Tribune-Chronicle: "Car hauler files bankruptcy By LARRY RINGLER / Tribune Chronicle LORDSTOWN — Performance Transportation Services Inc. will continue to haul vehicles, including those made at the General Motors Corp. Lordstown Complex, after a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing designed to help the sale of the company. The parent of Leaseway Auto Transport said Monday’s voluntary bankruptcy was required to sell the company to Allied Systems Holdings Inc. for $67 million."

Posted by St. Eve at 12/05/2007 09:13:00 AM

 

Teamsters strike against Allen Park car hauler

Teamsters strike against Allen Park car hauler: "Teamsters strike against Allen Park car hauler

The Detroit News

 

The International Brotherhood of Teamsters sent its members on strike at 9 this morning against the nation's No. 2 car hauler in the United States in a dispute over court-approved pay cuts and other contract issues.

 

The union is upset that Performance Transportation Services, which delivers 2.7 million vehicles a year including 10,400 vehicles a day for General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co. and Toyota Motor Corp., won federal bankruptcy court approval to immediately impose a 15 percent pay cut on 1,250 Teamster drivers through July 31."

 

PTS group ceases operations

| Business | Star-Telegram.com: "Car hauler decides to cease operations

 

DETROIT -- Performance Transportation Services' president said Friday that the car hauler and its related companies are ceasing operations, five days after 1,250 Teamster employees went on strike. Allen Park, Mich.-based PTS is North

Posted by St. Eve at 6/15/2008 12:59:00 PM

[LARRY BRUDZYNSKI]

So much for the Brotherhood of teamsters watching out for their members, Glad I got out of the union "IAM". Just think what all of their dues gets them....UNEMPLOYMENT

[DwayneGorniak]

If they would have put those dues into retirement investments, they would be much further ahead.

[Keith Browning]

This is the company who's run-down, ragged-assed piece of shit trucks leave oil slicks and pools of hydraulic oil on the street in front of our dealership... ought to call HAZMAT when they pull up.

[LARRY BRUDZYNSKI]

Well you knew it would only be a matter of time for this to happen. This company used to E&L transport and then changed their name to PTS about 2ish years ago. Used to be a really good customer then fell right off on repairs and maintenance.

[Aaron]

+1 on that, Keith!

 

Two guys dropping cars off at the store I was at before, left two bags of trash and a piss bottle in front of the dealer last time they were there. And that was the LAST time they were there, because the DP caught them doing it, and he was not a man that you screwed with.

[Keith Browning]

There ya go, and now that you mention it, the reason I know that the large pool of oil and the stain on the street some 40 feet long is hydraulic oil is because the driver left the empty oil drums in the street.

[Brad Clayton]

I watched one drive off with his ramps still down, it was hilarious. He drove completely out of site but you could still here him before he stopped.

[Jim Warman]

Well.... you guys must admit that the onion has done what it promised... and that is keep some unemployable cretins employed... well, up until the strike action.... But nobody ever said it takes brains to pay onion dues.

 

Me? I enjoy making my own mistakes rather than having a "committee of my peers" mandate my mistakes for me.... Plus I get to put the onion dues in MY jeans.

[SteveS]

I was working in a union dealership shop about 25 years ago when the contract proposal included higher employee contribution for health insurance. As I recall we would have accepted the wage offer but the insurance was a sticking point for the guys with families. I was a DINK (double income, no kids) and would not have been effected by a larger contribution for my spouse since she had insurance with her employer. But I was willing to walk the picket line with my "brothers". Solidarity, right?

 

There was a dealer organization that would negociate for the owners and it represented a considerable number of dealerships. A GM store across the street from us had a sweetheart contract where the owner agreed to whatever was settled between the union and the dealer organization, so they kept on working. One of my co-workers, "Rick", couldn't grasp the concept and as we were picketing he was always annoyed about "those scabs". No amount of talking could convince that they weren't scabs since they weren't on strike. Then after a couple weeks Rick took a withdrawal from the union and went to work at our own store as a strike breaker. At the end of the strike he just rejoined and went back to work with no penalty. I took it as a double kick in the nuts: he was making a wage while we were getting strike pay, and he had no loss for what he'd done.

 

As I recall we were out for almost 2 months. Maybe the guys that needed to buy medical for their families got something from it but I wouldn't have made up the loss in wages with the raises over the course of the contract. I found another job that was not union and have not been back since. I think that the union has improved a lot of the aspects of our trades (and similar trades), but If I were going to be a member again it would be because the job required it. And although I wouldn't cross the line for work, I'd probably only walk a picket line if it benefitted me.

[Jim Warman]

Steve.... your situation reminded me of a strike in an unaffiliated industry back in the 80s... This was at a Zeilder Lumber plant near Slave Lake that made veneer for laminating into plywood... The veneer was bundled and shipped to a Ziedler plant in Edmonton where it was processed....

 

Anyway, the employees (members of IWA - a steelworkers onion, no less) held a strike vote and the die was cast....

 

The strike dragged on... and Zeidlers brought in "scab" labour (I hesitate to use the term "scab" - working people are better than people that don't... no matter why non-workers are non-workers) to fill the positions... happy to earn the wages that the onionize types didn't like... except that many of the scabs were those that "quit" the onion (something about knowing what side your bread is buttered on... something like that).

 

The strike dragged on for 8 (yes, your saw it EIGHT!!! OCTO-fargin' years!!!!) when the Zeidler family sold out the business.

 

If you are trying to make a statement using "solidarinosc" (oh, damn.. I didn't mean that commie, pinko shit... honest)... ermmmm, "solidarity" (dang... commie, pinko shit in English)... a day might be "fashionable".... a week will be overkill and EIGHT FARGIN' YEARS will leave even the youngest man with little chance to recoup in raises what he has lost in folly....

 

Onions... I have some rather unattractive thoughts about onions (except for maybe vidalias and bermudas)... perhaps I'll get some people mad at me someday when I espouse my ramblings....

[Alex Bruene]

I recall a few years ago, I was working for a Ford dealer about 30 minutes east of Toronto, in a BIG GM town... I mean BIG GM town ... a few of the GM dealers were union. One of the dealers' service department went on strike (for what I understand were ridiculous demands)... But low and behold, there was a non-union GM dealer across the street and a few doors down. While these "morons" were on strike, the dealer across the road got all the service work... the line up to get in their parking lot was down the road and around the corner. Everybody got a car wash, excellent "bend-over-backwards" service, and just about everything else the non-union dealer could do to try and win the customers over. Big union dealer strike was settled... but guess where all the customers were when they reopened... seems like they found a good, if not better place to service... good thinking guys!! /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/boink3.gif

[SteveS]

EIGHT FARGIN' YEARS will leave even the youngest man with little chance to recoup in raises what he has lost in folly....

I'd bet that it would be impossible to recoup. I suspect, though, that none of the original employees were remaining there on the picket line, probably (what I'd call) "professional pickets". I encountered a business like that, where I knew they had been on strike for a long while (certainly NOT 8 YEARS, though!) and I happened to be walking past one of the guys (walking by, not crossing the line) and asked how it was going. At least that striker that I talked to had never been an employee at that business, just sent by the hall to carry a sign.

 

It's too bad that emotions get involved and guys picture themselves as Sylvester Stalone (I forgot the name of the movie), instead of a realistic evalaution of the situation's positive and negative aspects. In my experience the hot-heads start trying to rally everyone to their David/Goliath mentality. Especially surprising in a profession where we are expected to evaluate the facts and make a logical decision!

[Brad Clayton]

Quote:

guys picture themselves as Sylvester Stalone (I forgot the name of the movie)

F.I.S.T. (1978) I saw it on Encore Action channel just the other day. HERE

[Jim Warman]

Steve... these were all local, recognizable guys... None were ever really in my circle of friends and all one could ever do is shake the head and wonder what these guys were thinking. There comes a point in time where there is nothing left to be proven (other than how stupid some people can be).

 

Somebody is going to have to explain to how communism = bad and onions = good when they are one and the same.

[SteveS]

Very cool website! I was trying to think of an old movie to watch, all that came to mind was Duel . Got part way through it and had other stuff to do (I'm home on vacation but still need to get things done). Added it to Favorites for later; THANKS!

[SteveS]

Wow, Jim, unbelieveable that people would stick to a concept that obviously was not going anywhere. Did you ever learn what they are doing now?

[Jim Warman]

Steve... those that realized that Zeidlers wasn't prepared to roll over for the union either found work in other industries or simply quit the onion and went back to work as "scabs".

 

Today, what used to be called Zeidlers is owned by West Fraser Timber. Some of their current employees were on the picket line back in the 80s....