Truckers' strike/slowdown

[BrianR]

Actually, there are many segments of the trucking field who are agitating for pay-by-the-hour. Especially the unions, whose pay can be based upon the minimum wage.

I once figured out that if I were paid for ALL the work I did, my paycheck would work out to about $1.35/hour.

And that only counts logged work... when training a new student, I can easily put in 20 hour days for the first week or so. After the first two weeks, they usually can handle the job without my august presence.

The theory goes that if we were paid by the hour instead of by the mile, there'd be less pressure on us to make tight deadlines, take breaks more often (lessening our fatigue level) and letting us lower our overall stress level.

I dunno about this... wait staff tends to make less than minimum wage because of their "tips". If our paymasters would try to give us $1.35/hr and claim that all our benefits and "bonuses" count as income, we'd be right back at our earning level and STILL have to meet that tight deadline.

I need to think more on this.

[Flint]

Originally Posted by BrianR

I once figured out that if I were paid for ALL the work I did, my paycheck would work out to about $1.35/hour.

So you're about right there with the schoolteachers; who are also out supplies that the school can't afford to provide.

[BrianR]

Here are a few links to oil executives trying to defend their profits. Try this, this and this.

[BrianR]

I managed to stand with my brother truckers at our park and wank.

In that time, my student and I managed to rouse passing drivers to at least honk in support, if not stop.

I got on the Channel 7 news in an interview segment, he was shot for stock footage waving and jumping up and down. Goofball.

I also donated water, sodas and sandwiches. Other people offered pizza, more water, donuts and assorted other foods.

Tomorrow, there is a parade planned. I might go with them, but my truck will stay safely parked and my job safely secure.

[monster]

Originally Posted by BrianR

I managed to stand with my brother truckers at our park and wank.

In that time, my student and I managed to rouse passing drivers to at least honk in support, if not stop.

I got on the Channel 7 news in an interview segment, he was shot for stock footage waving and jumping up and down. Goofball

Is "wank" being used here in an alternate context to the one Brits are familiar with? If not, well them I'm not flipping surprised you were on the news and drivers honked.

[BrianR]

Originally Posted by monster

Is "wank" being used here in an alternate context to the one Brits are familiar with? If not, well them I'm not flipping surprised you were on the news and drivers honked.

Not exactly. The "wanking" referred to is to expose the futility of what they were doing. Nothing good will come of this, the protests we've all seen will not bring one iota of help to us, all we've done is piss off everyone.

What we wanted to do is educate the public about the ramifications of allowing this to go on, that they will ultimately pay for the costs being heaped upon the truckers. *I'm* not paying the extra fuel and neither will other drivers. We'll pass it along in the form of higher freight rates. The consignees will pay it if they want their freight. YOU will pay the higher retail cost if you want bread/milk/cars/anything.

I'm just going to be the scapegoat.

[Cicero]

Originally Posted by BrianR

What we wanted to do is educate the public about the ramifications of allowing this to go on, that they will ultimately pay for the costs being heaped upon the truckers. *I'm* not paying the extra fuel and neither will other drivers. We'll pass it along in the form of higher freight rates. The consignees will pay it if they want their freight. YOU will pay the higher retail cost if you want bread/milk/cars/anything.

The prices have already gone up, but as a vendor, (before I just quit) I talked to all the corporate clients we had, and sent out a notice that we would not be raising prices (in effect raising retail), we would be cutting credits given to corporate clients. Direct sales only. Cutting production to precisely what they sell, and no credits given back for what they don't sell, which is a wasteful policy after you consider materials and production costs.


You can complain about gas charges, as we all do. Rightfully. But there are many ways to get around raising costs at retail. Corporate gets a lot of credit, not to mention all the discounts, and they get away with wasting a lot of the items that you just delivered.

So far I have donated 1400.00 in wasted bread to food banks this year, and this is unfortanately because corporate likes shelves to "look full" and get credit back on all that they waste. Take their credit away and you will be able to afford delivery charges. This did not work at two companies but it did at about 20 others. No more wasted product on the vendor's dime. Yea!!!

Imagine their surprise when they just assumed I would be raising wholesale prices. "Everybody has done it and we are marking up retail here". Nu-uh. We are cutting your credits. Our product is costly enough at the stores, we are cutting the amount of material waste, labor, and delivery costs..thank you, g'bye.

Oh and again, buy local.

[tw]

Sir Richard Branson said he as seen this happen three times since the 1970s. However, he says he has never seen so much wealth being transfered so quickly. With significantly reduced wealth, who suffers? In the 70s, truckers were some of the first victims.

[BrianR]

Here we go again...

[Elspode]

I think its time for CW McCall to make a comeback, and perhaps another Smokey and The Bandit film would be useful.

[xoxoxoBruce]

My bill from the trashman has a $10 fuel surcharge added.
Oh, and the vending machines at work just jumped 25% on everything. That stuff comes by trucks, too.

[BrianR]

Originally Posted by Elspode

I think its time for CW McCall to make a comeback, and perhaps another Smokey and The Bandit film would be useful.

I hope so. Already, we've seen Dave Dudley come back from retirement to record a new album after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

[Cicero]

Buy local!!! Yea!!
It's just going to get worse, support your local farming community.


(I just got done driving a couple accounts just now (for that job I quit) and the money earned only paid for gas)

[BrianR]

Sorry, I don't control the merchandise. I just move it from point A to point B. I know nothing of credits, waste, thrift or anything else. I just drive the truck. And refuel it to the tune of $500-$600 a day.

Look to the corporate entities that send things and buy and sell. They might control costs better, but my costs will not change...it will still take X gallons of diesel to go from A to B. That cost is a cost of doing business and will NOT come from the pockets of corporate fat cats, the truckers or anyone else but the end consumer, who also pays a certain amount to cover those wasteful losses.

Brian

[Cicero]

Originally Posted by BrianR

That cost is a cost of doing business and will NOT come from the pockets of corporate fat cats, the truckers or anyone else but the end consumer, who also pays a certain amount to cover those wasteful losses.

Brian

I thought I just went too far into a good explanation as to how that can be avoided at least temporarily, as I was doing. But it probably read like gobeldy-gook. See, you have to get creative to avoid sticker shock especially if the product you supply is already expensive by it's nature.


All you know out there is how much you spend trying to deliver the items. I don't really think it's just up to the truckers to strike, when they pass the charges on and collect for the gas bills. I think it's up to all gas consumers to strike because the situation is not going to change anytime soon while we have a congress that takes a blind eye to gouging.

I started a non-profit awhile back, with some great people that are still on-board, because a lot of people saw this coming long before it started to happen. This situation was one of our many platforms to illustrate our reliance on petrochemicals, and try and demand that people become resourceful enough to start supplying their own areas with a self-sustainable production economy. Look, here it is, happening as predicted, and even truckers are as pissed as predicted (I talked to many while I was doing research).

Remember hurricane Katrina? Remember how everyone needed gas to travel either to the affected area or away from? Gas spiked overnight anywhere up to a dollar or so a tank. That makes me never want to buy their product again!!

Imagine that happening to your favorite restaurant? Busy night? "Well we are going to mark the food up by a third because we are so busy." Now imagine that the same restaurant marked up their prices because no one had any food and had been starving.

I think people should shut down for at least a day and quit driving all at the same time, and boycott gasoline. Not just truckers. It doesn't just effect truckers, it effects everyone. It shouldn't be a truckers strike. It should be a gas boycott for everyone.

People are going to have to learn how to self-sustain, just a little bit, and at least buy local, because the situation will not change, it will only get worse from here, and after a time you will not even be able to deliver anymore. The retail price on a tomato will become so astounding, and the wages will not increase. There will be fewer deliveries and out of state food will become scarce. There's my soap-box. The more this happens the more I'm glad I was out there trying to spread the word about self-sustaining communities. It's funny that the truckers I talked to about it, way back when, knew what in the hell I was talking about, but your average consumer just doesn't get it. Doesn't want to either, it might require work. Food will become only for the rich.

Here was our line: Are you aware of how many miles an average delivery truck drives to get your products to the store?.........

Ok done. Thank you for letting me rant in your strike thread. I'm glad someone is complaining. Sad it's you guys....It's also strange that it's you guys but makes a little sense. Thanks.

Is the strike over btw?