Hello folks.
Feeling a bit like Sasquatch..has anyone seen me lately?
Been a rough few weeks or so. I did a bunch of yardwork over Memorial day weekend and aggravated an old injury,causing numbness in my right forearm and loss of mobility and strength in my right hand.
Most of it's gone away, but there's probably carpal and cubital tunnel rubbish, not to mention a bit of ar
thritis rearing their aggravating heads. I'm seeing the surgeon next week, and who knows...
Y'all might know I'm a delivery driver. For that "Brown" company.
We're in contract negotiations right now..due by August 1st. So far, it's been mostly ok, but last week the Company got a bit rude with its' offers, and right now they're not talking to the Teamster's Union. We've already authorized a strike if things don't get better, but let me lay out a few things for you, to let you know why we're standing firm:
We Showed Up...
All
through the Pandemic.
No protection (initially) . Forced to work as "essential". No recognition, either verbal or $$. Brothers and Sisters got sick.
SOME DIED.
Company made BANK... $13BN (that's BILLION) in Profits last year alone. WE GOT NOTHING
Last contract, Union Leadership folded, and we got a two-tier workforce of drivers: guys I trained and mentored to be Drivers got stuck in the warehouse, double shifting to make a living, and if scheduled to go on road, made less than we more senior drivers, but doing the same work. (We got that changed, as long as it holds
thru the ratification) I see them, on the belt, loading my truck, or running packages, and I'm ashamed that I believed they would be treated well, and that I told them so. One of our best rookies is driving 4 hrs a day to double shift in the warehouse, when he was told he'd be on-road and working 8-10 hrs straight... I see him, and he looks at me like I punched his puppy.
Part-timers are the lifeblood of what we do..they load my truck overnight, unload my pickups when I get back, load trailers of outbound packages and unload trailers of stuff for delivery that day...We're standing up to get them a fair wage for their efforts.
We're standing up for what's right... cost-of-living and a raise; respect in the workplace; no forced overtime, and a few days of PTO for medical leave. We want our PT crew to get what they deserve, and all of us to be recognized for what we did during the Pandemic. 340 thousand workers are lining the pockets of the shareholders, and a lot of us are working in unsafe conditions, for terrible pay, with negligible respect from management and barely holding on.
I love my job. My Customers are friends... My Optician, Dentist and other providers are on my route. I don't want to see them hurt by the necessary actions that may come, but they all understand that I have been there every day for them, prices went up, and again, nothing changed for us drivers. They stand with us
Teamsters standing strong is not a bad thing. We hope and work for better conditions for all workers. We'd like to see Amazon workers represented and protected, we'd like to see all the folks who work to provide for their families and loved ones protected and paid appropriately. The unfortunate consequence is that a lot of deliveries will be disrupted, but please understand this is because Management refuses to consider the workforce as necessary, pay them properly and treat them well.
Please know it might get a bit wonky for a bit, but understand it's because our employer is not treating us with respect and reimbursing us appropriately for the work.
If you've read this far, thank you.
