What has the IAM done for us Contractually?
- Time Off - The average American gets two days off for every 40 hours worked. IAM members get “zero” days off for every 70 hours worked. (IAM Contract-Time off: Does not apply to lowboy drivers)
- Uncompensated Miles - IAM members have been shorted 10-15% of their mileage/pay resulting in an annual loss of $5000 +/-. Under the IAM’s contract, members drive 8,000-12,000 miles a year uncompensated. (This includes mileage sitting in Orlando, Tampa, Miami and Atlanta traffic!)
- Two Weeks Vacation – The average american gets two paid weeks vacation per year. IAM members work double the hours … away from home … yet get the same amount of time off.
- Non Union Owner Operators - The IAM has allowed non union owner operators to pull our freight for the past 8 years. They also outnumber the amount of union drivers at our terminals. When a “hot” load (or load that nobody wants) comes out in dispatch, union members are forced to deliver it, while the owner operators wait for good loads.
- Forced/Unsafe Dispatch – When a driver returns from a load and arrives back at the terminal around 2:30 dispatch, contractually, he has to sign the board. After he signs the board, picks a load and goes to the port to load his trucks, he is then ETA’d to deliver the following morning.
- Uncompensated Layovers – DOT HOS require truck drivers to Layover on the road, away from home for 34 consecutive hours. (The “Average American” work 40 hours a week) Every week an IAM member is living in his truck for 34 hours a week without any compensation.
- No Overtime – The average American gets “Overtime” after 40 hours. IAM members get “zero” Overtime, even though we spend more time on the clock, then we do driving. See The Numbers!
- No Per Diem – Classified as Professionals, but paid like Walmart employees!
- Below Average Pension – National average for company sponsored pension plans is $1.80 an hour. IAM Pension Plan was $1.15/hr!! (2004 contract went from $1.50/hr for two years and then $3.00/hr this year) Our pension plan pays up to 40 hours, even though we work over 80 hours a week!
- Company Layoff 2001 – Returned back to Laredo from a trip to find out that several drivers had been laid off, in which the union had failed to notify. Drivers were not notified of this by the union or the company, instead they heard it from a taxi cab driver who drove them from the Airport!
- Contract Discrimination - Shop chairman from the lowboy division was refused access to the 2004 Contract Negotiations resulting in member discrimination, poor language and loss of pay for all lowboy drivers.
- Union Representation – Eight years with this company and I have only seen Boysen Anderson come to our terminal once.
- Union Representation Transfer - Jacksonville members were informed May of 2007 that their memberships would be transferring to Baltimore, Md reducing the ability to organize, communicate and deal with grievances at a local level, due to Florida being a Right to Work state.
- Company Layoff 2007 – Auto Truck’s lowboy division is shutting down July 21st due to drivers refusing to lease ATC leasing’s junk equipment. In the meantime, Boysen Anderson has negotiated and turned down a contract and/or offer made by Unimark without our knowledge.
Auto Truck Transport is a unique company that dominates the lowboy market, without any major competition. Our union should of had a better contract with these guys. Instead, we have a union that is weak and has allowed this company to walk all over us.
