December 6, 2013: The “two-person” meeting of local officers in Dallas and by conference call has approved conducting a membership vote on the proposed YRC five-year contract extension.
Here is what the proposal includes:
- $750 bonuses instead of wage hikes in 2014 and 2015, then 40c per year (34c after 15% reduction).
- a pay freeze for all office and non-CDL dock workers, and a lower top wage of $16 for future non-CDL dock hires.
- up to 6% purchased transportation (subcontracting) of road work, with a red-circle protection of all road drivers currently working, similar to what ABF now has.
- vacation pay capped at 40 hours or 1/58 annual earnings, and three-week annual vacation delayed until 11 years seniority.
- interlining of city traffic in certain low-density areas.
- attendance policy with a progressive discipline chart as an addendum to the contract.
- H&W coverage protected, with a five-month delay in the 2014 H&W payment increases.
- profit-sharing if YRC Freight achieves 97% operating ratio, or if the combined regional carriers achieve 95%.
- and equality of sacrifice with all management and salaried staff.
The proposal to be voted has changed since the initial presentation to the IBT on November 20. It no longer has any change in overtime after eight hours, or any requirement to work all week to get H&W fully paid.
The ballots are coming quick. They will be mailed out on or about December 10 and will be counted on or about January 8. The meeting voted overwhelming to send out the proposal, although no recommendation on it was made.
You should read the full proposed contract extension and the IBT’s four-page summary of the proposal and discuss it with your Teamster co-workers.
The proposal requires a majority vote of those who return a ballot to pass. There will be independent rank and file observers at the vote count.
At the meeting of officers, YRC management personnel stressed the timing of ratification is crucial, because by February 1 they need to have their debt restructured. They stated that if the proposal is not approved, they may be out of business by February 1.
Presentations were by John Moses (IBT advisor) and Mitch Lilly (YRC VP of Operations and Labor) and Jamie Pierson (YRC CFO).
Neither of the two IBT-appointed members of the YRC board were in attendance.
Issues
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Comments
Anonymous replied on Permalink
Another bonus... forget it
Another bonus... forget it.
Animal replied on Permalink
What part of no further
What part of no further concessions did they not intend for us?
Still believe the company or are you just afraid of tomorrow?
Frustrated teamster replied on Permalink
YRCW contract
I see nothing saying that the CEO and other top people will be giving up 15% and their vacation? What about that? This looks horrible. What about telling them we gave up enough!
Debra Minnick replied on Permalink
YRC can stick it!
All I can say at this point is close the doors, enough is enough already! All they do is lie, steal and cheat their employees. They can stick it where the sun never shines!
csmith replied on Permalink
I AGREE WITH YOU! SHUT THE DAMN DOORS, ENOUGH!
I've been looking at over $200.00 per week removed from my pay check for too damn long! Now they want to extend that till 2019! James Welch confirmed that YRC did make a proposal last spring to purchase ABF! If YRC had the funds to purchase ABF what the hell changed in such a short time! Also, what happened to our union officials! Get busy and start representing us LIKE THE UNION DID YEARS AGO! What the heck is going on when a union allows the company to give our business to independent drivers. Do these independent drivers pay union dues each month! We PAY UNION DUES FOR REPRESENTATION and to protect our jobs! The union thinks it's okay to give away work! Something is really wrong with that!
Mike replied on Permalink
Enough is Enough I'am voting
Enough is Enough I'm voting NO to this BS! I work for Reddaway in Compton for over 11 years and I say close the doors. I think they are bluffing about going out of business buying new tractors and 53'' trailers. CLOSE THE GATE BECAUSE I'M VOTING NO.
Jay replied on Permalink
Yrc proposal
What an intelligence challenge lol, this is a rediculous offer and a great game of bait and hook by the company with the two payments of 750 which is a bonus entitled to a 50 percent tax dangling as a treat, 6 percent of freight to be subbed out to I'm assuming sister non union co for profit and who regulates 6 percent hmm. And much more to take. For a company needing help for the third time this is a sad cry for I would hang my head low if I were the people that concocted this horrible slap in the face. Shame, shame, it's unbelievable. Come to the table with intelligence! Where were the appointed IBT members pretty important to miss...
Matt Simon replied on Permalink
I call BS!!
I call BS!!
Mike Pastva replied on Permalink
So much for the BS that was put out last week....
The company has $750 to pay out to 26,000 Teamsters. Yeah they are broke.... This on the heals of an attempted purchase of ABF... I doubt the Union Approved this.... Our retirements are under funded and so will be our H/W benefits. Shame on YRC all the BS that has been mailed out over ths.
Thanks Frank and Mike for having our backs.
Scott Lampman replied on Permalink
In the latest YRC newsletter
In the latest YRC newsletter James Welsh wrote about employee "morale and engagement" being a problem. Apparently he thinks this chunk of shit for a proposal will fix that.
James replied on Permalink
non-nion workers
This is a scam becouse last time I took a pay-cut the non-union did not (usf) .... Why is it always the union's fault? YRC has good employees! I think management needs to step-up and be managers! Like make sure the equiptment is ready when we are so I dont have to go looking every DAY for a truck and loose 30-45 min of my woork time! Make cut-times on the trailers so sleepers dont sit on their asses for 4 hours! We call every time 4 hours out and the trailers are never ready? The bids need to have structure so that all the sleepers dont run over all the same lanes and waste time. Roadway and Yellow did it why cant YRCW do it ? And if we vote no and the company goes bankrupt, will we all loose our jobs or will they just kill the union and spin-off the non-union companies? Lets go back to the last MOU we voted on and hold it up.... When I voted the last time IT said "ALL YRCW employies would take the SAME cut of 15% and Reddyway never did" If the company wants me to save them again start with that!
Mike Masterson replied on Permalink
YRC proposals
As I've stated before I do not work for YRC but am in the same pension, H&W fund as the YRC drivers in my local, but I or my co workers do not have a vote in a contract extension that will affect our pensions and H&W. I don't care what work rule changes or oppressive rules you are willing to work under. But if you accept an extension without increased pension contributions, you and I both know that you are selling our retirement straight down the river.
Mike Masterson IBT Local 641
chad salanoa replied on Permalink
I am not too happy about how
I am not too happy about how they want to freeze our pay as a dock workers and offce staff we are just as much a vital part as a driver is, more so we are the front line of working the frieght making sure it gets on the trailers safe and in good condition for our customers. We work very very hard and should not have been singled out to stop our progrresion in our pay so unfair to us dock workers and office staff but what do you do to save your job and take care of our family? I love my job very much. I am proud to be a dock worker and take pride in my work thats why I have a hard time with my pay to be frozen.
billy001 replied on Permalink
Not equal
Not that I want your pay frozen, but your cost of employment is less than those of us with a CDL. I have to pay $160.00 for a background check, take hazmat renewal test every four years. Every two years I have to take a DOT phisical on my time. I am subject to random drug and alchol screens. You as a non-CDL are not subject to this. I am forced out to P&D while a junior man is allowed to perform the duties I bid. So you see this is a way for the company to encourage you to get a CDL if you are a checker. This company will have to have drivers or become a warehouse company.
Tom replied on Permalink
Agreed. The facilities staff
Agreed. The facilities staff and the office people at my terminal are top-notch. While it is true that I have some expenses related to being a driver, I don't think that freezing the pay of everybody else is justified.
Now, I'm going to lay out something far more important to all. We collectively own 25% of this company, so why do we have so many people who don't behave like owners? They need to, we all need to!! Face the facts: we are competing for the same customers as FedEx, Old Dominion and ConWay. If we are being paid better than all of them (which we are), we have to do that much better of a job in order to compete. We have the ability to do that, so why are lots of people screwing off instead of doing their job? If they would simply do their work and do it well and quit "milking the pooch", chances are we wouldn't even be in the present situation.
When our people get mad and "lay down" because of this awful proposal, they are playing right into Welch's hand. Indeed, they are justifying his proposal because they're showing that they aren't worth what they're being paid now. That has to stop!
I want my 15% and my pension money back, so let's make that happen instead of having some of our members constantly shooting us all in the foot.
Bootom line: do your job, or go find another company to ruin!
Wild child 44 replied on Permalink
I believe you better check
I believe you better check you facts about how much fedex Odfl and Conway make these days that may have been true in the past "But no longer"
zephead replied on Permalink
YRC
Well there it is, of course the no overtime after 8 is gone and the no H&W for a partial work week is gone, in other words they took enough out to get you to all say to yourselves, "well I guess it's not as bad as it could be", so that you'll vote for it. $16 bucks an hour to do non cdl dock work? If and when the fast food and retail workers get their $15 dollar an hour living wage and I hope they are successfull, who is going to want to bust their hump working the dock in either freezing cold or melting heat or deal with driving a truck in the city or road and all that that entails for only a couple bucks more an hour? Thank you Hoffa Jr., Tyson Johnson, Ken Hall, and Gordon Sweeton for starting the "race to the bottom" in freight pay! The year 2009 as the start of the "race to the bottom" is all you'll be remembered for.
Anonymous replied on Permalink
YRC
Was there anybody from the Teamsters at this two person meeting in Dallas. I don't see where we were represented at all.
midnighter replied on Permalink
YRC
A yes vote is a punch in the gut for those of us who worked hard for what we once earned. Now as a bonus we get kicked a bit more... Vote NO on this non negotiated proposal... Read the full proposal and learn what really it says...Time to quit beating a dead horse.
billy001 replied on Permalink
MOU's
Laurenio Braga replied on Permalink
They sure like our dues!
The representatives surely like our dues money and don't even show up to repersent! The only time they even show up is when it is election time! The repersentatives don't even have the ball to say aything on the proposal, oh, I forgot it's only about the dues!
One more thing, I would like to say any grievance we file these days, we are being told by our repersentative, "is they could do that" or the panel say the union claims are denied!
csmith replied on Permalink
Teamsters, Read this article
Google YRC'S, "Welch is confident Teamsters will ratify new deal" and read the paragraph where Welch comments that if the vote does not pass the company will meet with the lenders to work something out! Bankruptcy is not in the picture! Funny how we're being threatened from YRC and at least my union officials that the company will fold if we dont vote "Yes"! YRC is not going to fold! They're just testing us with everything they've got! I hope everybody sticks together so we can show them they lined their pockets in the past but not anymore! The union officials need to get off their lazy rear ends and get out there and fight for us! They better start picking up the pace and earn there pay check! I think they're forgetting their income comes from our monthly dues!
cedric lockett replied on Permalink
H&W
Who will pay the H&W payment if they dont? There is more to this, and then they threaten you with closing after all the big dogs been getting million dollars bonuses.
492 replied on Permalink
yrc
Creditors are making money. Management comes and goes with golden parachutes. And in the west we cannot buy a year to make peer? Over 4 billion in revenue and costs out weigh profits. Tell management enough! Reorganization under bankruptcy or shut it down. The freight will go to a better manager and I will drive there.
DDK IBT 745 replied on Permalink
Make a STAND!
If you are a TRUE Teamster the vote will be NO! DO NOT SELL YOUR BROTHERS/SISTERS OUT FOR A FREAKING $750.00 Dollar Bonus. If you do you probably wont be around to receive the second $750.00 Dollar bonus. Your JOB may be out sourced to "Shiny Wheels"! YRCW will maximize every shiny wheel they can contract, and the grievances will begin to stack! (Example: UPS Freight) You may still lose your job... Go out fighting and make a stand!
YRCW Management Blame the Unionized Employee's when the debt first hit the fan and now they are claiming responsibility for it!?! Hell we knew all along management was responsible, but the management at YRCW told the world it was OVER paid UNIONIZED EMPLOYEE'S that caused the debt.
Then they turn around and try to acquire ABF!?!? YRCW credibility with it's employee's is lost.
It is time to draw a line in the sand and stand our ground!
Leroy Olsen replied on Permalink
yrc MOU
I have just spoken to the steward from YRC Tampa, local 79 that attended the meeting last friday, he is the only one that spoke at the mic to Tyson Johnson, and called him a liar because Tyson said that he didn't know what exactly the company wanted, and then said that everyting on the internet was a bunch of lies, how could he know that if he hadn't already seen the proposal? Also, no vote was taken, and that is what everyone went there for, because Tyson Johnson said to just send it to the membership and let them figure it out and decide. NOW, DON'T WE PAY HIM TO DO THIS FOR US? The rank and file in the field think that this load of crap has the union's blessing. This whole MOU mess is toally YRC and the union working in harmony to extort money and hard earned benefits from the Teamsters that have paid time and again for this leadership's missteps and back door deals from Tyson Johnson's last MOU agreement. This whole vote is a sham, YRC does not need our help, they are just being greedy and making another money grab.
VOTE NO IF YOU WANT TO SAVE YOUR JOBS, DON'T LISTEN TO ALL THE JUNK MAIL YRC IS SENDING YOU!
Check out our TEAM (Teamsters Employees Against Mismanagement) letters on facebook at
yrc teamsters local 79
Lunchroom Lawyer replied on Permalink
Put up or shut up!
I wonder since they're giving out bonuses what kind of bonuses will the managers be getting? Do they get their performance bonuses back? It's only fair right? Don't buy into the companies BS. Vote no. I'm willing to bet they won't close the doors but if they do so what it won't be worth working here anyway. It's time to fight back and show them that the teamster members still have fight left in us.
Jason replied on Permalink
Yrc refinance
I just attended a yrc meeting and I asked, is there an early payoff on the refinance and I explained that, if this goes through (teamster agreed or not) I read online that yrc can flood the stock market with shares for sale and at $8.08 a share at 300 million shares yrc can pay off their debt and more. I also asked if they were to pay it off within a year after we sign is there anything guaranteeing that teamsters won't keep paying 15 percent in this 5 year term if yrc doesn't need help anymore they kinda looked surprised and said we can't answer that we don't know!
Roger replied on Permalink
I wish everyone would stop
I wish everyone would stop and think. The banks will not throw away one and a half billion dollars and let YRC go under. Even if the banks cut their interest rate in half they are still making 60 to 70 million dollars per year. This is better than losing one and a half billion dollars. The banks will not let YRC go under. It would be counterproductive. Anything on the plus side is better than a loss. I am sure the banks are playing hardball at the moment but if we all vote no they will come to an understanding. At the meeting at our terminal we had the VP of human resources come out and tell us that the current market interest rate is 6 percent, YRC is paying almost 12 percent. Why would the banks not be happy with a seven percent return. Think before you vote.
csmith replied on Permalink
All comments should be posted!
I have posted 2 separate comments on this sight that has not been posted! Why are you picking and choosing what to post! I would like to see a computerized voting system instead of the paper ballots which I feel is rigged! I have the right to bring this up! This is a very crucial time and every person has the right to voice there opinion!! You need to allow ALL opinions to be heard!
tduadmin replied on Permalink
Many websites moderate their
Many websites moderate their comment sections. This is not an unusual practice. The comments you mention were not posted because in addition to bringing up the perfectly legitimate idea of electronic voting you made wild, unsupported allegations of vote rigging. You were emailed, to which you did not reply, that those comments could not be posted unless you provided some evidence for your wild allegations. You've yet to do this.
boink replied on Permalink
What the bonus costs
Here's the difference; $750 bonus $0.34 raise(40 hrs) w/10 hrs o/t
2014 $750 $707.20 $972.40
2015 $750 $1,414.40 $1,944.80
total $1,500 $2,121.60 $2,917.20
So by taking the bonus you lose $621.40 if you work 40 hours, $1,417.20 if you get 10 hours overtime per week.
Since there were no raises YOU LOSE between $1,414.40 and $1,944.80 EVERY YEAR FOR AS LONG AS YOU WORK AT YRC.
Anonymous replied on Permalink
Keep in mind its a "bonus" so
Keep in mind its a "bonus" so after taxes your only going to see around 350$
Anonymous replied on Permalink
The Vote is Rigged
We just had an area manager by the name of Dan x tell us that there were ballets mailed out to people who have retired with a note that says that if they don't vote yes than it will affect their pensions. This contract modification clearly states employees at the top not employees and retirees. What retiree would vote against it?
Tom replied on Permalink
Vote rigged?
If that is true, that is enough to suspend the vote. That is quite an allegation to make, and it needs to be thoroughly investigated (ballot count observers, are you paying attention?). This is serious, VERY serious! Please follow up on that, and I'll do the same. Everybody needs to do the same. The way to do this is to get an active seniority roster for each element and each location of the bargaining unit, and verify EVERY ballot that is received at the PO box.
Jim Klingenberger replied on Permalink
This is Absurdity
This is absurdity: At the same time when unorganized fast food workers are striking (and being attacked by the militarized police and losing their jobs) for $15.00/hr wage (a living wage), my Union president passively accepts and wants the Union to passively accept $13.75/hr for a dock worker position. Leading us to the bottom. It used to be that Unions led upwards.
Don Biddulph replied on Permalink
What are pension proposals?
From what I read I see no mention of pension contributions.Although I retired Aug 1st 2008 from Yellow I still have concerns about my brother and sisters and myself.If contributions stay the way they are WORKING TEAMSTERS AND RETIRED TEAMSTERS WILL NOT HAVE PENSIONS!!!!!!Any clarity on pension contributions? Don Biddulph Local 701 retired