Are Trucker Strikes A Thing Of The Past?

A finer point of union strikes: if a union chooses to strike an industry, say airlines, supermarkets, or auto manufacturers, the union would select one company for their labor action.

So for example, Swift drivers would picket at their terminals and only Swift customers might suffer. Then the contract with Swift would be the model for the rest.

In reality, you won't have all 1.8 million truck drivers pull over at once.

Yep. The current GM strike will set the terms for the other manufacturers

Notice how GM is still on strike - and it's totally OUT OF THE NEWS CYCLE? Despite what the article says - the proposed contract hasn't been ratified - workers are still walking the line, and the contract may get voted down anyways (as Fiat/Chrysler members did not to long ago).

I think GM is taking a hard line, looking at the LONG GAME. The workers health insurance has been cancelled - the union has to pay for members COBRA now. Strike wages are not nearly what the workers are getting for salary. Their stock may be down by 7 points, and supposedly that are $2 billion lost due to the strike - but balance that against the LONG GAME. The current contract being voted on, still closes plants and costs thousands of jobs to the union workers. And the workers may opt to give GM & the union the middle finger and NOT RATIFY.

At this point - it's a game of CHICKEN between GM and the UAW - who can hold out LONGER. GM dealers still have plenty of '19 and some '20 units on their lots. What's really being hung up is the final run of Corvette C-7's, and the retool/startup run of the new C-8 Mid Engine Corvettes (which the entire first year production run has already been pre-sold). "Public Pressure" is not going to get GM to settle. The workers are going to start getting evictions, foreclosures, repossessions, utility shut-offs, etc. - because you cannot survive for long on the strike fund.

This might even be an attempt by GM to put UAW in its place. Especially in light of all the corruption stuff going on with the UAW. So now it's a game of who can hold out longer - and GM may just be in a position to outlast the UAW and make less concessions to the union demands.

Don't get me wrong here on unions - I am a member of one. Longshoremans Union here in Fort Lauderdale. The "brothers" down here at the port, need collective bargaining to not be screwed by the shipping companies at the port. But even the "main office" of the union - are a bunch of money wasting grifters, who care little for the ACTUAL GUYS on the docks.

But for the most part - most of these "mega unions", line the pockets of the bosses at the expense of the members. And many industries are giving the workers the option to OPT OUT of union membership - further weakening their financial clout (and leverage).

As far as "truckers strikes" go...

Back in the Jimmy Hoffa heydey, when a large number of the drivers were organized and union members - and we had the ICC (not the FMSCA) to deal with - drivers/unions had a little more leverage. Most companies (in non-union states) would rather fire their entire staff, than let them organize and dictate compensation/policy to the company owners. Keeping in mind that the union shops are the large publicly held companies (UPS/FEDEX/ETC) that were unionized long ago.

So the odds of getting everyone to shut down - are slim-to-none. Even if you got a bunch of OOIDA/Independent O/O's to do a shutdown/slowdown - in the big picture, the leverage they possess is to small to have any real effect on the big picture. And a union shop going on strike, will only affect that company - meanwhile, plenty of hungry scabs, would be willing to cross over to put food on their tables.

So no matter how much the notion of a "nationwide stoppage for better rules/wages/conditions" sounds romantic - NEVER HAPPEN.

Rick

Okay let's say by an act of God we could rally public support for a trucker strike. It will be short-lived. Once produce and other items people use in their day to day lives begin to disappear from the shelves, public support will evaporate in the blink of an eye. When riots, looting and price gauging result because of supplies shortages, truck drivers will become public enemy #1

That's an excellent point. Even if the public took the trucker's side and felt we deserved more, their support would fade once their lives were significantly impacted. They'd like to see us rally to make our lives better, but not at their expense.

Not only that, but they would realize that the more we make the higher the cost of goods will be. They'd like to see us make more, but not if it comes out of their pockets.

The public would be a tough sell.

That's what I've always said. It's going to be the 2-3 Million truckers vs 350 Million Americans who don't want to see the cost of their good go up just so truck drivers can make more money.

The powers that be know this, so they keep our focus on those things, when really, we could ban together as a country and start combating ridiculous CEO level wealth vs the common people. A Rising Tide raises all ships.

we could ban together as a country and start combating ridiculous CEO level wealth vs the common people

Technology has only made this far worse. It now takes fewer people than ever to generate tremendous amounts of wealth, which is accumulating in the hands of fewer people. The tech industry knows this and many of them are behind the proposal of "Universal Basic Income," or welfare for the masses if you will.

8 high-profile entrepreneurs who have endorsed universal basic income

The powers that be know that one way or another wealth will get redistributed, either through labor action, which was prominent in the past two centuries or through plans like Universal Basic Income. They are asking themselves, "Should we come up with a plan to do this on our own terms or should we wait until the masses take to the streets and demand it on their terms?"

History shows that redistribution will happen. The question is when and how.

Until a year ago I farmed all my life, for over 30 years. Every so often when prices were tough or for no reason the thought would come up that if farmers would organize and strike they could get about anything they wanted because it is they food supply. The problem is and it is the reason that I enjoyed and still enjoy the farming culture is that you are independent and not part of a giant organization that would set limits on what you can and cannot raise or what you can sell it for.

Https://www.theghanaianpost.com/2019/10/26/general-motors-to-restart-mexican-plants-after-labor-deal-ratified/

Looks like GM is gonna fight the unions. Just got this from Bing.

Https://www.freep.com/story/money/cars/general-motors/2019/10/25/gm-calls-uaw-workers-back-plants-targeting-truck-assembly-first/2459890001/

Hmmmm, don't know what's going on with this link, but you can Bing it up.

GM is gonna re-open their plants in Mexico and start production again .