Union labor explaining to new guys I find humor
I sat down with them today to explain how it works. I said see this is the contract hand book contract is up in 2019 . But compared to union freight the grocery side still holding its own as in decent pension and no give backs. I gave them the work rules in handbook. I said work rules protect us and our jobs, example yard jockey can’t do a road mans work or road driver can’t drop and hook in yard or jockey the wagons around. Nor can say a road guy touch freight that is a warehouse worker job. Every quarter we rebid if you wanna jump out on the street and peddle to the grocery stores and work 12 to 14 hours a day and if you got seniority to hold it then it’s yours. I did it for years and I like being in yard I never wanna cross the George Washington bridge again in a vehicle with more than four tires.
I said you’ll be top rate In two years in yard we make same rate hourly as road man. Anytime after 8 is time half anything after 40 is time half anytime after 48 is double time. So you wanna open your pockets up work 10 hour days to 12 in yard maybe get a 6 punch. You gonna make good cash and stuff your pockets full of green and be able to take care of your families. Suck up all the overtime then they’re be days you just wanna do 8 and the gate your call.
What do we get for the two hours union dues we pay a month.
1-Health insurance totally paid by company and decent dental and prescriptions. Example our son 13 years ago arrived 6 weeks early. His birth and neo natal bill was 196.000$ all paid for by insurance.
2- pension totally paid by company paid in at 8$ hour capped at 40 hours so 320$ week at 48 weeks a year going into your defined pension plan, It is a five year vestment.
3- a annuity pension paid in by the company at 5$ hour capped at 40 hours 48 weeks a year vestment is five years. So combined that is 520$ week the annuities is your cash withdrawal at retirement I had plans on my annuity cash retire to costa Rico and smoke weed. But sadly the costa rican government is being overrun by evangelicals and I have had enough of the immoral majority in this republic. so I plan on getting stoned in northern Thailand in retirement Chiang mai Thailand the Appalachia of south east Asia beautiful lovely people guys the Thai people . Sadly fellas my wife doesn’t want to go to Asia she doesn’t do bugs and hates hot and humid. So will split the retirements I said I won’t need much.
I said when I started thirty one years ago I think we were 4$ hour on defined plan and 2$ hour on annuity. So it has increased but it could be better. But unions today are in fight our union cuz you got ton of drivers out there willing to work for scraps in non union environment, Deregulation killed this industry.
I said management and labor get along years ago I worked in freight barns terminals where it was constant fighting between labor and management. here majority of us were older in 50s and 60’s we all been around and this place is we’re all waiting to retire. So In away it is like a semi retirement community.
So I said unofficial work rules common sense always help a brother or sister out. never betrays fellow brother or sister to management no rats. I don’t care if you find that a fellow co worker is collecting human heads and storing them in his wall locker we all have hobbies. You got a problem you go to a steward.
So in car on way home I was remembering the same talk that was given to me 31 years ago at a union freight outfit that has gone out business. the same talk was from a old school union brother. And thinking ok I’ll be able to provide for at that time it was just my wife and our oldest daughter who was a baby. Hey I’m 21 years old just out the army got great paying dock job and will be ok,Why because of the union. Hope these guys benefit as well in their futures.
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