USA Bus Lines

What can I do about my union giving away my job?

I am a transit bus driver. I'd be celebrating my 2nd anniversary next month if my union didn't throw me under the wheels. There's 30 of us. The company says no raises unless we can cut staff to 25. I'm 26 out of 30, the top of the bottom. I have perfect attendance. I have no accidents. If you scrape a tree branch coming into a stop, even though there is no damage, that is an accident. You run over a curb and scuff the tire, that is considered an accident. Most drivers have 1-2 per year of this nature. 3 in a year gets you suspended for a day. Two years with 3 each or a 4th in one year means you are fired. You can have one preventable accident with monetary damages. Your 2nd within 4 years means you are fired. I have several customer compliments. I have no complaints. More than a few times I've worked different hours than scheduled without notice, I'm very flexible. I make 14.75 per hour, work 45 hours a week. That's $700.60 per week before taxes. I have health insurance. Those 27-30 drivers are just getting unemployment. Not me. The company is offering me a non-union job, $10 per hour, no benefits, no overtime. If I refuse it, I guess that means no unemployment for me... I'm so screwed. In this job market, there's not much out there for someone like me. I found out a few minutes ago. I went to the library for my lunch hour. A week from today is my last day. I'm on the verge of crying. I don't even want to go back I'm so hurt. What can I do to the union? Between initiation and dues, they've taken $1,500 from me the past two years. Then to get the rest of the members a raise, they threw 5 of us under the wheels of the bus. The vote was 25-5 in favor of getting a raise, even though it meant losing 5 jobs. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to figure out who voted us out.

Public Comments

1. Read your union contract, read them again, then reread them a third time. Look if they violated anything that any reasonable person would see. If you can find something, get an employment attorney and bring it to him.
2. sucks I know but what can u do.....go ahead and accept the job and find something better on your days off....in these days and time just be thankful you have some income...a close relative of mine just got layed off and she purchased her first home thinking job security, not the case at all...anyway I know it sucks but it could be worse...good luck to you
3. Nothing. That's the whole point of a Union. In a free market, the employer would keep the best employees, and let go the worst ones. All employees would therefore have an incentive to work to the best of their ability. In a Union shop, however, it all goes on seniority. As long as you are "not quite bad enough" to get fired you keep on building up seniority and your job is safe ahead of better, but more junior, employees. Richard
4. that sounds pretty bad but that's what unions do. usually, what goes around what comes around. if you cant get unemployment, then it looks like that job may be your only choice. if there's 30 of you in your union, and more than half think the deal sucks, maybe you could try to decertify the union or try to renegotiate with the employer if your bargaining agreement is up. if they're singling you out for a discriminatory purpose, you could always call a lawyer. it also may not hurt to talk to the union lawyer to see what your options are.