Miami-South Florida-Who to work for?

[Peterbilt362]

I hear many people say union(ILA 1922/2062) are good to work for?
but which companies should one stay away from?

I know there used to be a company that ran both union and non union at the same time? Medina and CCE.?

And southeastern aka southern ocean is always opening and closing companies? but now that maersk is bidding out the work I see non union truckers pulling. and Even Out of state Truckers coming down to Miami alot. Even one BTT! who were banned many years ago from here!

so what's the point of the union? and what's the point down in MIami? if all the trucking companies band together like a cartel .?

[hammerdown85]

HEY,the real problem is the port and the port terminal every body pays between 54.00 &60.00 for local moves inside miami &54.00 75.00 port everglades some conpanys have more work than other .

[HardTimeTrucker]

Feb 12, 2010 20:44:08 GMT -5 @Peterbilt362 said:

I hear many people say union(ILA 1922/2062) are good to work for?
but which companies should one stay away from?

I know there used to be a company that ran both union and non union at the same time? Medina and CCE.?

And southeastern aka southern ocean is always opening and closing companies? but now that maersk is bidding out the work I see non union truckers pulling. and Even Out of state Truckers coming down to Miami alot. Even one BTT! who were banned many years ago from here!

so what's the point of the union? and what's the point down in MIami? if all the trucking companies band together like a cartel .?

The trucking companies band together in many locations like a cartel but most also hate each other as much as they hate their owner-operators/drivers who make trouble for them by questioning their authority. Some have organizations at particular ports that belong to the ATA while others are not part of the American Trucking Association and have formed small motor carrier assoc. groups within the local port area to protect their own private interest. Not only do they discuss issues they may have with the port but they exchange notes between each other on customers, ocean carriers, driver pay, rates, who the trouble makers are, and how to handle O/O's down to what can they expect to get away with deducting from our pay.

Your right BTT was banned many years ago by the ILA which actually Maersk could have pursued the issue in court but decided it would create more trouble in Miami then it was worth so they pulled out. It came about because BTT refused to sign another extension on their ILA union contract with the O/O's they had running out of south Florida. The ILA refused to service any BTT truckers at the port terminals who were sent down to replace the Miami union O/O's.

The point of a union is a legal one that we need to secure protection under federal labor law allowing us to negotiate as a group of O/O truckers even though we are considered small businesses we have the right if recognized as (employee)-lease/operators. Anti-trust law prohibits us from collective bargaining while classified under independent contractor status but cannot ban us if we gain recognition as employee-lease/operators. It's been a battle to get around this but there are ways to make this happen because the ILA, ILWU, Teamsters, and other unions have O/O trucker members. The Teamsters are now attempting to have the O/O trucker banned from the nations ports. They consider this an easier avenue for them to unionize company employee drivers but that is a cop out after years of O/O's standing up in support of the Teamsters union now only to be thrown out like yesterdays trash. They have totally lost the respect of the O/O.

Many of us feel that it would benefit all of us to work out a solution along these lines with some type long shore affiliation even though we do disagree with certain conditions in Miami. Many of the ILA drivers in Miami I hear are not happy but that old system could become much better for all sides with added leverage from several thousand truckers as new members from several other ports. The ILA control the docks at all major ports in the east so what better compliment of power for both parties concerned than to have the truckers affiliated with the dockworkers union? It's not a perfect world but with some work I believe the situation could greatly improve not only for Miami but for truckers at other ports in the east who now have no protection other than the weak federal truth-n-leasing laws that leave us to take matters into our own hands without a government agency such as the DOT to enforce them.

[pkd5757]

Maybe the ILA should organize all of the Florida O/O's. Then they can move right up the East coast. Screw the Teamsters, push them right out of the ports!

[CubanAmerican]

Maybe we need to form our own union or something else? I believe the ILA International in New York and here in Miami is more concerned with stuffing current leaderships pockets than supporting truckers like us or even their own basic membership. The south Florida union trucking contract with lease-operators is a joke.

[hammerdown85]

the best to do is guick containers , the people who have a trucking company or the mayor or the director of the port the stevadoring companys the union leaders only interes is they pay check every thing importan here is mostly polical on and on i guick the ports .

[ralph j]

yes containers suck. i quit them too. south florida has mentality that we should work for nothing. i left to lease to company out of area. doing much better now.

[soflatransinc]

I would not recommend H & M Terminal Transport in Medley. (headquarters in NJ) Look like a lot of favoritism going on with the loads. some guys only working 2 or 3 days out the week. you would be lucky if you make $600 two weeks in a row.

[FUSION]

Nov 30, 2014 15:28:04 GMT -5 soflatransinc said:

I would not recommend H & M Terminal Transport in Medley. (headquarters in NJ) Look like a lot of favoritism going on with the loads. some guys only working 2 or 3 days out the week. you would be lucky if you make $600 two weeks in a row.

Agreed!