FT driver layoff questions.

[UnconTROLLed]

The VLO's were working fine, we hadn't had one driver laid off a day this year without it being voluntary. The change was caused by a grievance being filed by someone in the top 20 on the seniority list for them dispatching 10 hours over 9.5 on a day when he took voluntary layoff. Our center manager then got pissed and took away the oppurtunity for voluntary layoffs and laid off our bottom 5 drivers. The steward was soliciting pretty hard for someone to file on that, and finally someone did.

The sad thing is we have now done nothing but lost because:

-center manager will even out dispatches so we are not 8 over 9.5 without adding a route.

-No more voluntary days off for higher seniority people

-5 people lost their jobs

Can you see why I'm not so happy? I will take one for the team when there is something to gain, but we gained nothing except for 1 driver being paid for 10 hours.

Yes! I'm on your side, but playing devils advocate there. In reality, there should be no VLOs if we are all "good Teamsters" and go by the books, work 5 days a week 8 hours minimum. Thats all I was saying.

 

[clarnzz]

Yes! I'm on your side, but playing devils advocate there. In reality, there should be no VLOs if we are all "good Teamsters" and go by the books, work 5 days a week 8 hours minimum. Thats all I was saying.

Well, I do have a little good news, it's not quite going to be as bad as I thought. Our vacations pickup to 10 per week here soon and I have vacation 2 out of the next 4 weeks anyways, so it looks like my layoff may be very short as long as volume at our center doesn't continue to fall off. It could very well just be these two days and some Mondays.

I at least have 2 drivers under me so I'm not the first to go.

It also sounds like after one week of layoffs I can bump into any shifts I want, so I could do midnight/preload, which doesn't work out quite as bad for me despite 2.5 hours or so downtime between shifts.

Today and yesterday they did still do 1 or 2 voluntary layoffs as they don't want to lay off too many and have people call in sick and cause themselves more problems.

I guess I should of learned after 15 years there that you should never get too worked up because things usually don't tend to be as bad they seem initially. Just a little harder when you have a wife and 3 kids.

 

[clarnzz]

Oh, and one more thing. They still went 8 over 9.5 yesterday so one of the guys ahead of me is still going to get paid for sitting at home.