To Strike or Not To Strike – That Seems to be the Question!
Posted on Mar 30, 2008 - 11:51am by Donna Snelling in Trucking
With all the talk on the CB, TV, newspaper, and yes even MySpace about an impending strike on April 1st due to high fuel prices, I have a few questions to pick your brain.
- Who are the people wanting to strike? From what I have heard, they are people who do not realize that by a handful of people striking – it does not help anything but hurt their own pocketbook.
- Is fuel the real reason why everyone is striking? Because if that is true – then why are there so many company drivers wanting to strike??
- Why would a company driver want to strike to protest fuel prices? I mean, after all – they are not the ones having to pay for their fuel OR maintenance on the trucks they drive.
My last question is probably more of a fear than a question – What will happen to those who will not strike? Will drivers who ARE striking realize that the drivers that are still out there rolling are only trying to support themselves and their families? Last time one of these “little” strikes happened a few months ago I saw posts on the internet where there were incidents of headlights being knocked out, trucks being egged, etc. I think this is ridiculous – it shows that some people do not respect the property of others and the fact that there are actually some people out there that HAVE to keep running in order to keep food on the table and a roof over their family’s head.
I am really hoping for the safety of other drivers and those who are trying to make a living, that this whole strike thing is just one of those rumors everyone hears on the CB.
RSS feed for comments on this post | Trackback URI
We're on Twitter!
Pages: [2] 1 » Show All
Try a selective boycott.
Refuse to do business with EXXON/MOBILE today.
Do not buy their gas or diesel.
Do not use their convenience stores.
Do not deliver to them.
Do not accept employment from them.
Return their credit cards with a message that their products are to expensive.
A selective boycott can be effective if enough people participate.
When their gas evaporates in the storage tanks and the milk sours in the convenience store refrigerators THEY WILL LISTEN or their replacements will.
If the storage tanks are empty and the convenience store refrigerators are empty
THEY WILL LISTEN or their replacements will.
When or if EXXON/MOBILE is gone from the scene choose the next largest oil company and continue until the hundred million dollar executives get the idea that consumers can and will control the market place! A golden parachute is too heavy to break a fall.
You can’t tell from the name on the gas station where they get their gas from. A refinery supplies an entire region, not just a certain chain of stations. An entire region would have to stop buying gas.
I thought we weren’t supposed to buy gas or anything from Citgo because it’s wholly owned by Chavez, who hates us. I don’t, but that’s my personal decision. That’s worked real well especially when our own military has contracts with Citgo.
Idiots.
hey gang – dont know if I’m allowed to but i wanted to do a little poll about brokers – it’s only five questions long – think you could answer it for me? Just trying to get a general consenus of what truckers thing
Just click on the word poll above please
Have a great day gang!
Something to think about, call it a wake up call or blue lights in your mirror. This past week three airlines in the United States went out of business! Aloha Airlines, ATA and Sky Bus. Total assets of these companies was Aloha $215.9 million in assets , 3,500 workers. ATA Airlines 328 million in assets with 2,230 employees, Skybus supposedly had 158 billion in assets
Swift from what I see has about $168 million in assets from what I have seen .
Now what in the H do airlines and trucking have in common, transportation, high fuel prices and a public going broke!
I get so tired hearing I can’t stop I can’t shut down, can’t afford to. But go ahead take it on the chin in the unemployment line because when the consumer runs out of buying power you will not have freight to haul be it a company driver or a independent.
Surely planning on a shut down nationwide with the support of the mad as hell gasoline consumers will tell Washington do get off their donkey!
One can only guess what NASA the DOE and the EPA could do if the government (we the people) told them to work for a living! We need a end to this or it will be a end to all of our lifestyles.
Um….how do you “take it on the chin in the unemployment line” when you are an owner operator? Unless you are paying in unemployment you will NOT get unemployment….also…….I don’t know about the state you live in – but in our state you cannot draw unemployment because you WILLINGLY QUIT a job……..so yeah… again my question – WHO is going to pay for the downtime?
You are tired of hearing “can’t afford to” – that is just a cold hard fact. And it’s coming from more than truckers and their families!
Oh and I’m not sure where you got your info but the one of the main reasons that ATA shut its doors “ATA, an Indiana-based low-cost charter airline, filed for Chapter 11 status Wednesday as a result of financial problems “following the loss of a key contract for our military charter business,” the company said. ” (CNN)
“In its bankruptcy filing, Aloha said it was unable to generate enough revenue from its inter-island passenger flights because of below-cost fares by competitors Mesa Air Group’s go! airline.” (CNN)
And then there is the amount of employees:
“We are deeply disappointed that Aloha Airlines has made the decision to cease operations of their interisland and transpacific passenger flights,” Lingle said in a statement. “Our main concerns are threefold – first and foremost the 1,900 employees and their families, the need for continued air service for our residents and visitors, and protection of the state’s long-term fiscal and economic interests.” Hawaii Gov. Linda Lingle
As for the ATA – you should really read why they went bankrupt. They have “stiffed” numerous businesses just simply not paying and they owe “JPMorgan Chase is owed the most, about $340 million, for a loan it made to ATA last year” – read the article: http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008804060329. The company just did not pay their bills! And you talk about them filing bankruptcy/shutting down because of fuel prices – well they didn’t even pay for their fuel so how can you blame it on that? (“Chicago has much to lose — a $7.1 million loan the city made to ATA. A fuel supplier in Columbus, Ohio, is owed $2.5 million; four maintenance companies are owed $1.5 million.” from the very same article!)
So I am saying it again….
I do not support a strike because a strike does not support my family!!
Unless of course you are willing to give us money to go on strike!
Stating cold facts as you say,if an o/o can’t shut down for 2 to 5
days,he or she is aready out of business but just does’nt know it yet.
And exactly what are your supporting factors of that?
Most of the owner ops (including us) do not want to shut down for that long because it means a loss of money – no money coming in means no money going out. And with fuel prices being like they are – why would a person do that to themselves?
If you are saying that because I said “I do not a support a strike because a strike does not support my family!” – then answer this question for me: what good has come out of the shut-down days?
Because those who participated – did it for nothing – look at the fuel prices – going up not down. So why shut your business down and lose money?
It would be like a handful of mom & pop restaurants closing down in the hopes of getting one vendor to lower their rates. It’s not going to happen because mom & pop places come and go but the big names are always there to count on.
And here is yet another question for you – for those who participate in the convoys (bobtailing) on the road going to their respective statehouses, government officials, etc – they are complaining about fuel prices right? But yet they are burning fuel to protest the rates (while not making money) – I’m still trying to make sense out of that one. Burn the fuel you are complaining about while losing money.
Makes sense to me.
StarHauler was noted as saying:
“Now what in the H do airlines and trucking have in common, transportation, high fuel prices and a public going broke!”
You might think about what the DIFFERENCE is between the two. We haul freight. They haul people. You might find it interesting to note that the people haulers in the USA don’t generally do so well. RailRoads do real well hauling freight….they have to be subsidized by the government to haul people. The Freight Hauling Airlines are doing fine…passenger flights are not. No “mass transit” scheme in the United States seems to be able to operate WITHOUT a subsidy.
I…personally….am not doing tooo bad. (could be better) The company I’m leased to pays me 100% of the fuel surcharge….and it’s a reasonable amount….if they didn’t I’d move on to one that did.
I made a few “tough” decisions in the last decade or so….like leaving cheap freight on the dock on ocassion and running empty to get somewhere that paid better. You might be interested to know that there’s a (variable) freight rate below which it’s stupid to haul it….it costs more to haul some freight than it does to run empty. (wear an tear on truck…time lost screwing around…looseing good loads because of it….aggravation)…like quitting certain carriers that persisted in hauling cheap stuff….like moving into a specialty area of the Industry where I got paid better….had more control over what I do.
That put me where I am. I’m suffering….some….but not so much as if I throw away what I’ve worked for. Going “On Strike” amounts to the same thing as quitting.
I’m not a quitter.
You also persist in not paying attention. Heaven and Earth is NOT controlled by the government. “Stuff Happens”. Also the history of government meddleing is poor. Check out history and you’ll note that when Government “fixes” something….it’s generally more broke than it was before. I draw your attention to the two previous “Energy Crises” and what happened when government …”Helped”. Remember the seventies? I do.
A Strike wont help us. It’ll hurt us….Bad.
I’m not participating.
I checked out Silver Surfer’s site and it looks like they want to strike for fuel. It doesn’t say how much lower they want it, it’s just too high. They get a little news coverage and they think they can do something. Even if it’s the wrong thing.
There are plenty of people driving new cars and eating good dinners, what does that have to do with anything?
There are truckers that get good rates to cover their fuel prices. Maybe that’s what you should strike for. Huh, who would have thought?
Truckers And Citizens United
April 12, 2008 Convoy To D.C. Rally
http://www.theamericandriver.com/files/wp/april_12_rally_pa.html
STAND UP, SPEAK OUT OR GO BROKE!!!
Safe Trails and God Bless
http://www.theamericandriver.com/files/TruckersAndCitizensUnited.html
This is an issue effecting all of us and we MUST take a stand NOW. Our government IS a major contributing factor in the outrageous price of fuel, and the struggle American citizens are experiencing making ends meet. We must take action to get their attention. All other avenues has only fallen on deaf ears – our government is ignoring the will, and needs, of the American people.
In The Last Year
(63,000 Jobs Lost)
(2 Million American Citizens Lose Their Homes)
(28 Million American Citizens Projected To Be On Food Stamp Programs)
Our government officials are eating good dinners, are living in beautiful homes, are driving brand new vehicles and are collecting large salaries…on the American Citizen’s dollar. It’s time to take our country back.
STAND UP, SPEAK OUT OR GO BROKE!!!
http://www.theamericandriver.com/files/TruckersAndCitizensUnited.html
http://www.uscattlehaulers.com
http://www.thetruckingindustry.net/strike.html
http://www.truckdriversunited.com/truck_stop_talk.htm
http://www.thetruckersvoice.net/
So since you have all of these “facts” – where did you find them? It’s always a good idea to back up what you say.
You say “Stand Up, Speak out, or Go Broke” well a person would think you ARE going to go broke if you strike for a week….that just makes common sense – no money coming in means no bills getting paid no food on the table.
Still no one has answered my question – Who is going to pay for my family’s necessities if we go on strike?
Is that the sound of crickets I hear? Because I already know the answer to that question – it is NO ONE – because the well thought out plan of a strike is fine – but some CANNOT afford to ditch their responsibilities of taking care of their family for something (strike) that is only going to hurt all of us in the end. And that’s right I said RESPONSBILITY.
A lot of these posts talk about the government being responsible for this and for that – where is YOUR responsibility to ensure you and your family is taken care of?
Think about it people.
Where is YOUR money coming from if you sit on your butt for a week? There is NO strike fund you can draw from like a union can. You talk about doing BECAUSE of the lack of money yet you are willing to sit for a freaking week not even TRYING to make money??? Wow….very good thinking. “Gee I don’t make HARDLY any money now but I think I’ll park my truck for a week and make NO money at all…yeah that will show them!”
Show them what??
I still say I don’t support a strike – because the strike doesn’t support my family!!
why company drivers care about high fuel costs. when the company pays more for fuel ,no raises in wages or benies. some companies may have to go out of business because of fuel costs. higher costs on products in the store.
I’d like to know his definition of 100 percent successful is. If he thinks it’s a success because it was in the news, that’s pretty silly. Because as far as I can tell it didn’t accomplish anything. Freight is still low and fuel is still high. Mission Accomplished.
This morning, I interviewed Dan Little, the man generally credited with launching the trucker shutdown yesterday, and he believes the effort was 100 percent successful. The near future, as far as the trucking industry and its impact on this country, should be interesting.
I have drove OTR for 11 years and it has become one of the rudest places to work. The new drivers do not have respect for anyone. A strike would only hurt the lower and middle class Americans that struggle from paycheck to paycheck. Our so called President should have the balls to do something about the rising fuel prices. Remember Clinton did so back in the 90′s and when that bill expired no one made a new one. So if you want to raise cane with any one go to the White House and voice your opinions. Do not take it out on America. I work every day and yes I currently drive for a small company and I will not strike because the woman I work for pays me and pays for the fuel. When she can no longer make money then she will park the truck and I will look for work elsewhere. She told all her drivers (all 40 of us) that she will let us know when she wants us to park the trucks, so I will do right by her as long as my paychecks clear the bank every week.
I know it is hard on the owner operator, it is hard on all companies that is why they need to ban together and go the Washington DC and make a stand. Put your anger toward the right people. If you stop your truck and not haul anything think about the old man and woman next door that will being doing without their medicine, food, and other necessities. Think long and hard before stopping your trucks and not hauling, there will always be companies like JB Hunt, Swift, Schneider, and Covenant that will step in and haul your freight for a few cents less than what you were getting paid. So all you will do there is give away your hauls.
Everyone is suffering this day and time; my parents are on a fixed income and think about your retired or disabled parents and grandparents, the economy is rough for all of us and all a strike would do it make it tougher and cause violence from the stupid people.
^You sound like a simple minded sheeple.Just keep drinking the kool-aid,you are just what they want in the american people.