I’ll explain the title of this post in a minute. But before that, I’d like to cover some stuff from my post from yesterday.
First off, the picket line rules are now up in the air. The two minute rule was decided on six years ago when the last strike was almost called and it could change.
Second, to address one comment and a couple emails, I am not allowed to bring firearms onto the premises. Ever. Period. I’ve gone through a couple bosses here; the first one, a retired Marine Captain, said it was OK, and the guy after him, a good ‘ol boy from Tennesse, was OK with it as well. But this third guy, and the one who has lasted the longest so far, is a gun bigot. So, axe handles and lockback knifes are all I’m allowed. Well, not really allowed, but they haven’t said ‘No’ yet. But I’m not worried. I’ll have a 6500lb weapon with me named Grimm that I don’t have to get out of unless I want to get flashy with some Hickory.
Next, to answer a couple other emails, the union employees are making somewhere between $45K and $80K a year, and those are net figures, not gross, depending on how long they’ve worked under the union contract. The newer guys are making somewhere between the high-teens to the mid-twenty-something dollars an hour and the guys who have been here for ten-plus years are making over $30-something an hour. That is before overtime hours, of which there is no shortage available.
And now onto the title of this post…..
The vote on Sunday is going to be a very crucial one. There are 600 Teamster employees involved under the various contracts being negotiated and some of them are itching for some time off.
From multiple sources, I hear that a number of them are demanding that the union get them their medical coverage at ZERO out of paycheck cost. The union has already told them that they won’t ask for that and these rabble rousers have replied that they will vote to strike.
With having the vote on Easter Sunday, the total turnout is expected to be smaller than usual. And we all know what happens during off-year elections when the turnout is small; those with an agenda show up to vote and their votes are disproportionally amplified.
If the guys who think that giving the negotiators another week or so don’t show up and those demaning things that even the union says they can’t have show up with their numbers, the vote will be to strike. The vast majority of those guys are from the other hauling company involved and the guys working for my employer know that their votes will be loud, so everyone I’ve talked to is saying they’ll show for the vote, but we’ll have to wait and see.
I’ve got a couple of the guys saying they’ll call me as soon as they hear anything, so hopefully I won’t wait to hear from my manager about whether or not I’m working Monday.
My employer has also heard of the rude boy’s demands and, in addition to the unarmed security, large floodlights showed up in the parking lot yesterday afternoon, as well as 8ft chain link fencing for the one ungated driveway and to make a doubly secure parking area for the non-union employees. We have also already seen upwards towards thirty guys from out of town who will be driving the trucks on Monday if the vote is to strike and there will be four times many that by Wednesday. But on the other side, I still haven’t gotten my new ‘Strike Use Security Badge’ yet, and neither have any of my co-workers in the office.
Apparently, the guys providing security are the only company my empoyer uses on a nationwide basis. They’ve flown some of the security guys in from as far away as West Virginia so as to have some people with ‘Strike Experience’ at hand and they’re filling in the rest with locals. All in all, the security folks seem nice enough. I’ve seen inside a couple of their vehicles and they have some of the best equipment this side of Blackwater (vests, helmets, boots, pads, etc), minus the firearms, of course. If the strike happens, it’ll be weird to see these guys on patrol.
More when I hear anything new. Probably Sunday afternoon.
Well, I wouldn’t look forward to it. I’ve been in the police patrol ranks on several big strikes here in Oregon and it’s never pretty.
There’s always something of an “anything goes” attitude on both sides, and sneaky sabotage is the rule, not the exception.
Get yourself a locking gas cap for Grimm, and chain and padlock the hood down (it doesn’t have to close with the chain, just not be able to be lifted enough to mess with the engine). Carry a can of Spare Air or two.
For close-in defense of a vehicle, I like a tomahawk instead of a stick. A tomahawk can be used to advantage while still in the cab, but all you can do with an axhandle is poke with it, and you will probably lose it to your attacker. Pepper spray isn’t a bad idea, because in non-lethal, it’s the only thing that might take out two or three attackers at once. Get the foam kind, it’s less susceptible to wind drift.
Good luck.
I’ve always liked the t-ball sized aluminum baseball bat for close in melee use, myself…
Sounds like the some of the union hotheads are more or less ready to go on strike (so to speak) against their union reps. Womder if they might vote for some more radical representation than the Teamsters. Intramurals are always fun to watch.
What are the odds of hiring permament replacements if they go on strike?