Teamster contract approved by a landslide

Was this contract that much better than the first one they turned down? Well, it was substantially better in some key areas but I think it has more to do with the auto transport industry feeling the impact of the economic trouble the big three auto makers are in. Another factor is the successful efforts by non-union auto transporters to land contracts. Another round of strikes would have really swung the door open for the non-union carriers who got their foot in the door during the PTS strike. Here is what one teamster had to say:

KarHauLer wrote:

NON-union is taking our jobs…
United Road has moved into Ontario and has hired driver for a mere $700.00 per week thru a driver service… Hauling Toyotas
What next?

• November 18th, 2008 at 4:21 pm

  The Chap Man Says:

  Sometimes it takes losing a great job like the PTS employees did to realize how good they had it. It is a true shame that PTS closed and opened the door for the Non-Union carriers.

  Now that the door is open expect it to be kicked down…

  Here is the kicker to the situation, the same Union drivers that held their ground with PTS are now working for those non union carriers and doing the job that they should have done in the first place before their company closed. The reality is that there are not a lot of Union Jobs out there because the companies that do business with the Union can not afford to stay open.

  The sad part of the situation is that the owner of the company is not affected on a personal level; unlike the union employees who ultimately lose there job and now have a history that most employers do not want to touch.

  It is a sad but true statement, but if the union employee did what is described in the contract as “fair days work for a fair day’s wage” then companies like PMT, Allied, and the fallen PTS would be strong and competitive in today’s market.

One Response to “Teamster contract approved by a landslide”

• November 18th, 2008 at 4:21 pm

  The Chap Man Says:

  Sometimes it takes losing a great job like the PTS employees did to realize how good they had it. It is a true shame that PTS closed and opened the door for the Non-Union carriers.

  Now that the door is open expect it to be kicked down…

  Here is the kicker to the situation, the same Union drivers that held their ground with PTS are now working for those non union carriers and doing the job that they should have done in the first place before their company closed. The reality is that there are not a lot of Union Jobs out there because the companies that do business with the Union can not afford to stay open.

  The sad part of the situation is that the owner of the company is not affected on a personal level; unlike the union employees who ultimately lose there job and now have a history that most employers do not want to touch.

  It is a sad but true statement, but if the union employee did what is described in the contract as “fair days work for a fair day’s wage” then companies like PMT, Allied, and the fallen PTS would be strong and competitive in today’s market.