I wanted to take the time to address the rumors that are going around our lot since yesterday. Give the right information, the TRUTH! Not the lies that you all are hearing.
1. Spring Grove is not paying union dues!! We do not pay union dues until we have a contract signed with Durham. Union dues are not retroactive and we do not have an initiation fee. In order to have our union dues deducted out of our check we will sign another card authorizing Teamster's to take a deduction from our payroll check. The white cards we signed are not authorization for union dues deductions from our checks! No matter what the company management tells you. If you read your white card before you signed it, you would have seen at the bottom it stated that this is not an authorization for union dues.
2. The labor charge brought against our manager is not a lawsuit. The charges were only filed against our manager, not our dispatcher. This was not the only labor charge brought against our manager either. Others were filed with this one. The labor charge is only an action brought against an individual by the Federal Labor Board. It is not a lawsuit, nor does the employee sue for monetary judgment. Think of it as a slap on the hand. They have to post what they did and say they won't due it again. It just means that the company violated a labor law.
As this is going on at our lot, I think the company is really showing it's true colors. I think they're showing they don't value their employees like they say, because if they did they would not single out one driver! They would not be showing other drivers the labor charge and then talking about it and giving misinformation as to the situation that led up to the labor charge. Our management is violating driver's rights. By showing this labor charge, also talking to driver's about another driver. That violates driver's confidentiality! It's a cheap shot. Durham says that is provides a nonhostile work environment. To me management is making it a hostile work environment by violating rights, confidentiality and not doing anything about "attacks" to other drivers at our facility. That is a hostile work environment! I think if anything they are showing more and more why we need a union!
Durham right now is trying to divide and conquer! They are trying to get people to sway against the union because Durham knows a union is not good for them. But remember a union is good for us! We will be able to negotiate our contract! We will have a say for our wages and benefits! And most importantly standards will have to be followed by everyone!
Please if you have any questions regarding these rumors/lies call a Teamster representative, or see one of us at the lot. If we can't answer your question right away we will get you the answer. Don't let Durham bully us. Let this unite us!
