[BIG JEEP on 44's]

Originally Posted by PackRatTDI

If you ever want to become a supervisor or get the premium jobs at a union shop, you have to be there for 15-30 years or more. You can be the most incompetent louse ever to come along the pike, but as long as you have seniority, you can be a supervisor.

And you can forget about position security, even if you bid on a job. When I worked for Frigidaire, they phased out most of the 3rd shift jobs in the metal press room. I worked on 2nd shift. The position I bid on to get out of the assembly line was given to a 3rd shift member with more seniority and I was bumped BACK to the assembly line into a position near the paint room which meant a constant 120F ambient temperature. After that, I told them they could go **** themselves and I left.

Oh and God help you if you ever have a grievance against a veteran union member, I found that out when I hurt my back. My supervisor threatened me that I either got back on the line or I'd get written up. His supervisor and the union steward both shrugged their shoulders when I went to them. I only got help when I went to the company themselves and filed a work injury report. Evidentally, all I was paying my dues for was the little membership card in my wallet.

I'll never be a union member again. I'd rather be a Wal-Mart worker bee than a union bitch.

So you never actually held a Union position with a trucking company ...much less ABF . So you're really basing your opinion on a non related field of employment ,as to what the job would be like .

[PackRatTDI]

Originally Posted by BIG JEEP on 44's

So you never actually held a Union position with a trucking company ...much less ABF . So you're really basing your opinion on a non related field of employment ,as to what the job would be like .

Nothing I've read here or elsewhere leads me to believe that union jobs at ABF, Roadway or UPS would be any different. The bullshit's the same, you're just behind the steering wheel instead of industrial machinery.

[BIG JEEP on 44's]

Originally Posted by PackRatTDI

Nothing I've read here or elsewhere leads me to believe that union jobs at ABF, Roadway or UPS would be any different. The bullshit's the same, you're just behind the steering wheel instead of industrial machinery.

I would still put a union job driving local with good hourly pay ...way way above working most OTR jobs even if you get stuck working the dock at 17-20 hr many times , As low man on the pole :wink:

[EasyRolln]

I applied at ABF not too long ago here in the Chicago area. The recruiter gave me a call within a week, and since I didn't have my HAZMAT endorsement, he told me to get the process started and reapply. By the time I got the process started and reapplied, it was too late - the work slowed down. However, I and a friend of mine were seeing signs all over the place saying that they were hiring. So, we went to their yard and I talked to the Drivers Mgr. He was up front with me and told me that they weren't hiring because it was slow and they didn't want to hire anybody and have them sit around. What I noticed while I was in their yard was that nobody around there was unhappy and I didn't see one crappy car in their parking lot. Before that, I talked to one of their drivers who's 67 yrs. old and had been working for them less than 6 months. He was pretty happy with them and had moved up on the seniority list pretty fast, and he's been on disability for the past 3 months. That's not to say that he's a lame duck. According to him, before he needed surgery they (ABF) worked him pretty hard. His advice was to not complain about the routes that you were getting and you'd work yourself into more favorable routes down the road. Doesn't sound like a bad company to work for IMO.