I know that these meetings can be persuasive and look like the proposed contract wont be that bad. The arbitration committee can’t handle the grievance process now and have made GOD awful decisions on our behalf. The proposed contract is going to hurt us no matter what situations that may be beneficial to us. Whats good today wont be tomorrow, and the companies will change your terminal designed structure to implement the most cost effective way to run those trucks, so don’t be fooled by their propaganda. They are selling this to us, so it’s supposed to make some kind of sense. The hidden fact is that what is important to them is the $109 a week per driver that they got from the companies. A no vote doesn’t mean we will be going on strike, it just says to them that they need to go back to the table. When you receive your ballot there is a comment section and you write down your concerns and they go through those concerns and bargain. No one sane person once a strike, but we want a contract that our brothers and there families can live with.

I had the pleasure to be at this meeting and was given the opportunity to speak. They tried to tell us that the reason the contract was gutted was, because the economic state of the auto industry. The number of units cut in production, and the loss of jobs in all of the industries. They also spoke of the companies and there financial state. They said that: “WE the union have controlled the business of the big three, and that are contract is the cause of their financial issues.” There was at least a couple of hundred men there and we were all shocked. Then we got the chance to speak, and some spoke of Article 48 and how it would effect the job we all love. They said any abuse by the employer, and we would have the grievance machine backing us. I found that to be comical, because they can’t handle the ones they have now. Can you imagine the thousands that would be presented to them if this BS contract passed? When it was my turn to speak I said: ” I’m not here to represent the TDU or any other organization. I’m here representing my brothers in this room, and my car-hauling brothers and sisters trough out this country. You are gutting 40 years of language and our brothers of the past sacrificed blood and tears to get us here.” I spoke of the articles of concern and the men cheered! I have not felt that type of passion in all my years as a Teamster. I spoke of Article 40 note 3 and how this article is set up to have us all fired before we retire, to be replaced by two tier drivers. We called for a show of hands and we knew, that our job there was done. A no vote sends them back to the negotiation table. We need to send those words all the way to Washington D.C. NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

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