Company Wants Me To Join Teamsters

Work for a company in Northern California who moves rocks sand and other aggregates in bottom dumps or end dumps. They are planning on joining the union and getting city state and federal work when it comes available. Has anyone ever dealt with construction division of the union I’m a class driver combination and double. Was wondering about prevailing wages do we ge those as drivers or we exempt for it. I’ve heard other companies get it but I don’t want to taken advantage of and want some insight from drivers contacted union also. Not sure where else to go internet didn’t lead up any information. Thanks in advance

This sounds a little fishy to me as too the reasons stated, and I’ll explain my former experience and opinion.

I was a teamster member in Ca for many years. It wssn’t construction, but was a a city employee. They really did very little for us overall, made a lot of ill will with the city leaders, but faithfully took their dues out of my check. They always had excuses for not performing better, but did always say they would make up for it the next year. This was years ago during a state budget crises, and I went 6 straight years without any raise. I’m not much of a fan.

Our city, county and the state all put jobs out to bid. They get the sealed bids back, hold a hearing and select the one they want. Majority of time that will be the lowest.

If the teamsters can assist any company to get bids it would be suspect too me.

I’m no expert in this area, just my experiences in the past.

The thing is they said our hourly rate just over the union driver rate so we won’t get prevailing for any jobs so that’s where I wasn’t sure if they are correct or not

the teamsters application is as given didn’t have a problem at scale there or anything I know people in trade unions who get pay scales forms at the hall so I was expecting similar packet with information

This sounds a little fishy to me as too the reasons stated, and I’ll explain my former experience and opinion.

I was a teamster member in Ca for many years. It wssn’t construction, but was a a city employee. They really did very little for us overall, made a lot of ill will with the city leaders, but faithfully took their dues out of my check. They always had excuses for not performing better, but did always say they would make up for it the next year. This was years ago during a state budget crises, and I went 6 straight years without any raise. I’m not much of a fan.

Our city, county and the state all put jobs out to bid. They get the sealed bids back, hold a hearing and select the one they want. Majority of time that will be the lowest.

If the teamsters can assist any company to get bids it would be suspect too me.

I’m no expert in this area, just my experiences in the past.

Tee, just curious. Is joining the Teamsters mandatory or optional for you?

BK it would be company wide, all but office help would have to join. I had my 1 experience with teamsters @ Waste Management (had same local @ Pepsi)

WM was very Anti Union, they pulled out ALL the stops to prevent us going union. Set up trailers for their guys from Chicago to be in. Trying to talk people out of voting for a union. We had around 200 drivers and helpers, yet was only like 25 of us mechanics and welders. So of course, we in the shop were the minority. We were 1 of the first, and only, WM companies to be union back then.

They had tried going union twice before with other locals and failed. This time they won, and we ALL became parts of the union. Our dues were low $10 at first, I left for a spot @ Pepsi instead. That didn't work out for me for many reasons. Worst was, I was getting low scale pay yet doing top scale work. The top guys sucked too, lazy, didn't do a whole lot. Gave my 2 week notice, my last day, my night shift boss went bat shyt crazy on the 3 maintenance super's for me, to no avail, so bye bye guys.

9 months later, WM we got 2 new supervisors in the shop. My friends kept buggin' me to return because of this. Well, I talked to the new head boss, and got a $3 raise, so I went back to WM. Pepsi dues were $50 month, and a 45 mile 1 way drive to the shop. WM was the $10 dues, and 6 miles from my house, so it made $$ sense to go back to WM....

1 year later, nothing had changed in the shop, the reason I left in the first place. So I got a job in L.A. for a Hazmat tanker outfit as the solo mechanic, because they needed an engine guy. Being solo, I put in LOTS of hours, 60+ a week. 1 week, Mon-Fri, I did 92 hours lol chachingggg!

So, NO I was NOT impressed with working Union lol

I was in the carpenters local 532 in Seattle. I framed nothing but civil jobs. The company voted to go union.

We were making prevailing wage plus equivalent of benes in straight pay. Roughly 34.50 an hour prior to it.

After, the union collected (stole) all kinds of fees, non refundable, barred us from working on any sites if we're were on lay off and couldn't collect funenjoyment either. Take home pay dropped from 1500 a week to 600 a week with absolutely no benefit for the missing money.

Given the rich history of corruption and greed that unions have, until such time as we come up with a voluntary organization that embraces all pay structures inclusive of piecework and salary, and forces the employer's to hold and facilitate pensions rather than the union, the problems will exist. The flip side is that the union should provide better skilled and more professional drivers in order to justify the higher labor cost.

At the moment I have no idea it was proposed to us as an extra workload the company can get from getting city state and federal jobs not sure of the federal I’ve only worked on a federal job one for the forrredt service taking road work matireal.

But here in ca the high speed rail drivers get paid prevailing wage for their hourly wage when I asked if we were to get prevailing wages on jobs they said we make over the drivers pay wage so we don’t get anything else but the added benefit of having more work hours so if a company needs a union driver they send us if the company I’m at needs guy they pull from them I don’t mind the union but if we have to pay dues and all this not get the union benefits etc it doesn’t make any sense to join

Tee, just curious. Is joining the Teamsters mandatory or optional for you?

This is tricky for me because this is teamsters and it falls under division of construction drivers they said at our current pay rate we make more than a union driver so when it comes to getting on union jobs we won’t get prevailing or scale pay because we already make more than what they pay. They also said we would get more work if union job came up they would get our guys to help another company and vice versa. It didn’t sound right to me but i tried calling the hall and no answer figured you know left a voice mail etc and they don’t have info on there page. As drivers some companies are union and wages are based off contracts no one is being upfront so I was hoping some drivers here are familiar or have been with a teamster driving position for driving hot asphalt in dump trailers etc high speed rail or anything that can shine light

I was in the carpenters local 532 in Seattle. I framed nothing but civil jobs. The company voted to go union.

We were making prevailing wage plus equivalent of benes in straight pay. Roughly 34.50 an hour prior to it.

After, the union collected (stole) all kinds of fees, non refundable, barred us from working on any sites if we're were on lay off and couldn't collect funenjoyment either. Take home pay dropped from 1500 a week to 600 a week with absolutely no benefit for the missing money.

Given the rich history of corruption and greed that unions have, until such time as we come up with a voluntary organization that embraces all pay structures inclusive of piecework and salary, and forces the employer's to hold and facilitate pensions rather than the union, the problems will exist. The flip side is that the union should provide better skilled and more professional drivers in order to justify the higher labor cost.