Monday, June 16, 2008


Looking out for the working guy

Yeah right...

There is probably no movement that is past it's time and yet still wields incredible sway over our nation to compare to the labor union movement.

A recent story highlights this case. One of the nation's largest car haulers, Performance Transportation Services, was coming out of bankruptcy and trying to get on it's feet. As part of the recovery, they were authorized to temporarily cut their driver's pay by 15%. As reported by the Detroit Free Press, the Teamsters Union decided to recommend that they cut of their proverbial noses to spite their faces...

Car hauler: Strike may sink company

Bankrupt PTS cuts pay 15%; Teamsters walk out

A strike against the nation's No. 2 car hauler could force the company quickly out of business, the company's chief executive said Monday, a sentiment some striking Teamsters members said they were prepared to accept rather than take a temporary pay cut.

Some 1,250 car haulers represented by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters walked off their jobs at Performance Transportation Services, a move that many think will have little impact on automakers and car dealers. Both sides concede there is little time to settle before the Allen Park company, which has been in bankruptcy twice since 2006, may go out of business.

The two sides are in a stalemate over court-approved pay cuts and other contract issues. As of Monday evening the two sides were not talking.

The union is upset that PTS, which delivers 2.7 million vehicles a year including 10,400 vehicles a day for General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co. and Toyota Motor Corp., won federal bankruptcy court approval to immediately impose a 15 percent pay cut on the drivers through July 31. The company wants the temporary cut while it continues to negotiate a new contract. The Teamsters refused and walked off their jobs Monday, including seven locations in Michigan.

It is pretty easy to tell a guy to go on strike when you have a cushy, high paid job working for the Teamsters. Why would you care if some truck driver loses his job as long as the union dues keep flowing in and your salary keeps getting direct deposited. The Teamsters recommended that these truckers shut down a company in precarious financial position. Brilliant. Of course the predictable result occurred...

Bankrupt vehicle hauler closes 5 days after strike

DETROIT — The president of Performance Transportation Services Inc. said the car hauler and its related companies were ceasing operations Friday, five days after 1,250 Teamsters members went on strike.

Allen Park-based PTS is North America’s second-largest hauler of new vehicles and was operating under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

In a letter to employees, company president and CEO Jeff Cornish said the bankruptcy court on June 4 authorized a 15 percent wage cut for Teamsters-represented employees for two months. The company anticipated negotiating a new, long-term contract during that time, but the Teamsters instead went on strike Monday.

Teamsters chief negotiator Fred Zuckerman said that PTS’ financial predicament stemmed not from the union’s demands but from the company’s problems in securing credit.

PTS delivered more than 4 million vehicles annually from 24 facilities nationwide with its fleet of 1,800 trucks for many North American automakers.

So instead of sucking it up and taking a temporary pay cut to keep the company afloat, the truckers walked out, the company closed up shop and now instead of getting 85% of their pay temporarily, they get to trade the picket line for the unemployment line. Oops. Meanwhile Fred Zuckerman, Jimmie Hoffa Jr., the Teamster bosses and negotiators go back to the golf course.

My employer recently eliminated my job, but instead of whining about it I took another position. Sure I had to move, but it was a good career move and I still have a job. Note to the Teamsters Union: NO ONE OWES YOU A JOB! The unions have wrecked Michigan's economy by making our labor force uncompetitive and yet the union bosses fiddle while Rome (or Detroit) burns. Better yet, they spend their time trying to mandate how many sick days employers in Ohio are required provide employees. Wow, now that they have wrecked Michigan maybe they can do the same and finish off Ohio. Unions ceased being useful before I was born but the Democrats are so beholden to them and they have suckered so many people into thinking that they are looking out for the little guy that they linger on. I used to work with labor union leaders all the time in a prior job, and while many of the guys remember what it was like to work for a living, a lot of them are only interested in who gives them the nicest perks, the best seats at ball games, the most expensive lunches. They are little different than the corporate executives they rail against, except that the executives are honest about what they are in it for.

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