YRC Teamsters-Local 79

TEAM LETTER 117
Teamster Employees against Mismanagement

EXTORTION: The act or practice of coercion or pressure; the offense committed by an official engaging in such practice of excess use of authority, especially pertaining to money or other threats.
YRCW is having all the managers hold a meeting to explain to all of us dim witted truck drivers, how this new version of the MOU is good for us, and to strongly encourage us to vote yes. After reading the proposed changes we spoke up that this is the same pig, but with new lipstick. WE were told that if this does not pass, that YRC would go into bankruptcy. After going over the changes for this latest version of the MOU, they were trying to tell us that first we were getting a “bonus”, which we quickly reminded them that a bonus is on top of regular pay, not in lieu of, then they said that the company wasn’t taking any money out of our pay, and that vacation time was being returned to us, well the meeting started to really heat up, so it came down to this; either vote for this or YRC is going into bankruptcy, then we asked if that was for certain because if that is not a fact, then management is using innuendo, half-truths, and lies to EXTORT the vote that they want, bypassing our right to choose. Once I mentioned that they were using extortion to force us to vote for this pig with new makeup, the meeting was over. It seems to me that the company and the union are in a great rush to get this done before the company announces their fourth quarter earnings next month. The fair way to conduct this vote would be to send ballots to our homes and let us vote like we always have in the past. What makes this vote so special? Whenever we vote it has always been done with a mail in ballot, this voting process is being used by both the union and the company to get the results that they are trying to achieve. Whether you are voting yes or no, some of our members won’t be able to vote like this, some will be on vacation, working, or live so far away that driving for hours to cast a ballot is ridicules. The problem with this vote is that we are expected to vote on half-truths, innuendo, and outright lies. YRC WANTS US to give away our money, our future, and our self-esteem, to a company that does not have enough respect for us to be honest, forth coming and allow us the established democratic process so that we can vote intelligently. The union is just as bad as the company since I have had letters and phone calls from the Teamsters to help me make the right decision. Now we have to go and listen to the BA tell us what a great job that HOFFA and TYSON did for us, what a load of BS. This is the second time that they are leading the sheep to slaughter. My position is that I am not a sheep, and I will not be manipulated by this company or this union, and for that reason I fear that the correct vote for me will have to be a big NO!

TEAM LETTER 112
Teamster Employees Against Mismanagement
We are all invited to a craft (contract) meeting this Saturday. I believe this is our first invitation to the hall in quite some time, usually they don’t want to hear from freight. Our last craft meeting was when our Local Teamster officers told us that we should give YRC the MOU. We were told by the local, that even though all the issues had not be discussed or resolved, it would be agreeable. IF there were any disputes we would have the MOU grievance panel to correct them. Well, now it is time to visit this same problem again, but unlike the first time, I hope we are better educated about where our union’s loyalty lies. There is still no grievance panel since November 2009, and YRC is coming to the end of being able to raid our paychecks. Since the current MOU was ratified, many teamster families have lost their life savings, their homes, their autos, and the ability to educate their children without incurring huge student loans. I have heard stories of our brothers and sisters barely getting by, and having to give up dreams that they could have achieved had YRC not devastated their finances. I am quite sure that upper management’s families fared quite well, they got raises, bonus’s, golden parachutes. They have new homes, cars, and their children got to go to school without incurring huge student loan debt. There was a time in history, when HOFFA SR. saw how the coal mine owners and trucking companies treated their employees, so he fought to make companies pay us a fair wage so that truckers could move up to the middle class. Now YRC wants US to give freely for five more years to bail out their bad loans, with no compensation once that is completed, except for an imaginary profit sharing dream. This company hasn’t made a profit for 20 years according to the company at every contract negotiations of the past. The union and YRC can’t understand why we would be upset to give more of our families’ meager earnings to help the company become more stable, when YRC’s upper management won’t put their money into this conspiracy. Giving YRC another MOU when they haven’t used the over $3 Billion in compensation wisely, just seems wrong. The only way to stop this madness is to vote NO. If you must vote yes, please abstain from voting so that the majority of us can save your job for you.

TEAM LETTER 111
Teamster Employees Against Mismanagement
A TOTAL FRAUD!

Well they almost got away with it. Thanks to our steward for attending the two man meeting and finding out what is really going on. Paul Russell attended the meeting on Friday, and was the only person to approach the Microphone and speak. Tyson Johnson started off by saying that he was not privy to the contents of the proposal, but later said that everything on the internet is a lie! HOW would he know that if he hadn’t seen the proposal, well Paul called him on that and let him know that he is a liar. When this all started YRC was asking for an extension of the present MOU, that’s all. Since then it has morphed into a new MOU with new contract language, loss of vacation hours for everyone, two “BONUSES” in lieu of promised pay raises, and loss of work for road and city drivers. A cap on office and non-union employee wages, postponement of 3rd week of vacation from the 8th year to the 11th. How could the smokescreen of an extension that was used to open this fiasco, be ok with Tyson Johnson, and Hoffa? I guess money really does shape policy, and alter loyalties. This MOU is worse than the first time Johnson was involved with YRC, and was caught having secret negotiations. ALSO at the meeting Paul attended, Tyson Johnson by-passed the vote to bring this corrupt package to the membership. In the past when the union brought changes to the rank and file they would have investigated every angle thoroughly, now we all know that this time Johnson just ruled that they were going to let the members sort it out, there are so many grey areas and innuendo that this is almost a blank check to YRC. Is this REALLY what we pay the union to do, I think not. This time they just want us to pass this so both YRC and the union can continue to make the money from us that they have become accustomed to. So now Johnson and Welch are sharing the same bed. This is truly a sad day to be a Teamster in YRC, maybe we should seek another union that would be glad to have our $16.5 million annual dues, and protect us, but for now we all need to vote NO to this made up emergency, and fraudulent sham from welch and Johnson.
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TEAM LETTER 110
Teamster Employees Against Mismanagement
NOW WE COME TO VACATIONS!
Item 7 B & C: MONEY,MONEY,MONEY…..Here comes the real reason for the latest money grab by YRC. This section has to do with changing our vacation from 45 hours a week to 40 hours. While this doesn’t sound like a lot, let’s see what is going to happen if this crap should pass. First your vacation is changed from working 52 weeks to working 58 weeks to earn the same vacation time. This means that in five years you will have to work 260 weeks for your earned vacations, under the new MOU for you to earn the same vacation you will have to work 290 weeks. Not only is YRC taking your vacation time and money, they are making us work an additional 30 weeks to earn the same vacation time but with less money.
Now losing 5 hours of vacation is relevant on how many weeks you have to use: 4 weeks of vacation per year reduces your pay $422.12
3 weeks of vacation per year reduces your pay $316.59
Now we should discuss the loss of earned vacation time, that is to say that senior workers with 5 weeks are reduced to 4 weeks for the past three years, and now workers with three weeks are going to lose one week of vacation for three years. Out of the 26,000 workers in this company, how many have less than 8 years? Not many I would guess, so let us guess that 22,000 of us fall into a category of 1 week of vacation loss and that one week of vacation is worth $844.22 after the 15% loss and one week is worth 40 hours, that means that the money stolen from 22,000 of us $18,572,840.

TEAM LETTER 106
Teamster Employees Against Mismanagement
When I shared Letter 102 with my brothers and sisters in the rank and file, I can’t tell you how many took the time to check my figures, and as they should. Now it is time for me to say that I totally screwed the pooch on this letter. I am grateful that so many people read this letter and was interested enough in the subject to check this out, so after checking the various figures again I can honestly say that unlike YRC, I am willing to accept and correct my mistakes. So hopefully these figures are closer to the truth. Frankly I liked the other numbers a little better, these figures really make me sick, and now they want even more. Being very conservative and doing the math, 26,000 employees making $24.83 an hour and working an average of 50 hours a week. With YRC getting their 15%, that equates to roughly:
26,000 employees working 40 hrs. straight time= $3,868,800
26,000 employees working 10 hrs. over time= $1,453,400
That equates to $5,322,200 a week
Now take those same 26,000 employees times 4.2 weeks a month and you have a total $22,353,240
Now you factor in union dues at $53.00 per month =$1,378,000.00
I realize that some employees do not work 50 hours a week, some work less and others work more and if you factor in that the Road Warriors earn more and therefore pay more, BUT that being said now I am wondering what is the Union’s and YRC’S motivation for Keeping YRC out of Bankruptcy???
WE HAVE BECOME THE CASH COW for YRC & THE TEAMSTERS at a total of $6,337,760 a month or $284,774,880 a year. Now how many of you want to give these predators more of YOUR money?

TEAM LETTER 105
Teamster Employees Against Mismanagement
As a YRC employee I have witnessed on numerous occasions opportunities squandered that would grow YRC’s business and put this company on sound financial footing. Mr. Welch has made a point of saying that “YRC CAN’T PAY WHAT THEY OWE TO THE BANKS”. I say that if YRC would stop trying to shrink this company to fit into whatever business model they are envisioning, and take the initiative to grow their business, they could pay all their bills and have a work force that is appreciative of the companies’ effort to excel. YRC has many problems, as seen from the rank and file, a major problem is that manpower requirements needed to operate in a growing environment is not permitted to exist. There is an old saying, “Decisions need to be made as close to the task as possible”. (management 101) Some mystery person, somewhere else, making a decision on local P&D, and dock operations is ludicrous. Any monkey, with enough bananas, could take a bill count, divide in X bills per hour, and come up with some hypothetical manpower chart. What that monkey can’t see is the traffic pattern, weather, delays due to other carriers blocking the receiving area, trailers loaded with a front end dozer, etc., etc.. For any terminal to make money the route decisions should always include a driver’s input, he knows his customers, route, and daily ability to produce quality service. Eliminating the driver’s input is a recipe for disaster, and leads to poor production, excessive returns, and money wasted to handle the same freight numerous times. As is evident by our current business model. If you want to see a quality operation, just check out your local Publix Supermarket. You will see every customer will be treated by Publix employees with respect and dignity, and here is the best part they make tons of money. The thought crossed my mind that if YRC would allow us, the employees, and management to treat customers with respect and dignity we would have more business than we could handle. And that my friend is how Mr. Welch could pay his bills, retake the lead as a quality freight company, and finally have enough business so that all our laid of brothers and sisters could come back to work, and do away with this damned MOU once and for all. It is time for our executive leaders to show a “CAN DO” attitude instead of always saying they can’t. (Like us at YRC Teamsters-local 79 on facebook)