Rood Trucking Company Drivers Strike
PMAPWU tractor-trailer operators of the Rood Trucking Company (RTC) have been working without a contract for close to four years now. They have patiently withstood wrongful firings, misappropriation of their pensions funds, substandard and unsafe equipment, unaffordable health plans, company bankruptcy, and the company's perpetual refusal to return to the bargaining table for meaningful negotiations.
In May, then again in October, our membership approved exercising the strike authorization given by APWU Headquarters, and further voted to absorb the costs of basic accommodations for strikers. During this time, RTC drivers were being polled as to whether they would go out on strike if called, not knowing when.
At 8:00 PM on November 4th, 2004 we met with a core group of RTC members to outline conditions and strategy of the strike. By 10 o'clock, the wheels were put in motion with Rochester New York drivers going out first, relying heavily on spontaneous commitments from other drivers and the element of surprise. Rochester NY Local APWU President Jim Berteleone played an instrumental role for this activity in western upstate New York. APWU attorneys were notified, and asked to remain vigilant, and PMAPWU acquired legal contacts in all the major cities, that remained on call. And PMAPWU disseminated the word that no person or action may impede the delivery of mail or the mission of the Postal Service.
Picket lines were established by 10:30 PM, and almost immediately started crippling the company's ability to meet their delivery obligations, without blocking driveways or turning trucks away. If the Postal Service instructed drivers to drop their trailers and remove their tractors, we supported those instructions and the drivers acted accordingly. Postal Inspectors were kept apprised of our activity and local and postal police continually monitored picket lines; the strike proceeded without incident.
By Friday morning, the Postal Service had already begun pursuing means of covering RTC runs with MVS drivers and emergency contracts; message was sent that PMAPWU was willing to participate in those decisions, but no return call came. By Saturday afternoon, RTC was called to see if they would return to the table, but that offer was rejected claiming the company needed to first speak with their bankruptcy attorneys. By Saturday night, RTC competitors were in contact with PMAPWU concerning our willingness to supply drivers for the RTC runs they would try to acquire. Clearly RTC was loosing valuable revenue by the minute. They were already in bankruptcy trouble. They had lost runs due to faulty equipment. They were maxed out on their credit, and more and more drivers were embracing the strike and walking the picket lines. The strategy was working better than expected.
By mid-morning Monday, it appeared that the Rood Company would rather go under than reach terms with the drivers, and their runs were dangerously close to being lost forever. Even if they didn't know it, we held the future of the company in our hands. This strike was never meant to be a suicide mission, but a wake up call to George Rood and company. As reported earlier, Rood has spent $700,000 in attorney fees avoiding a contract, contributing to his bankruptcy file. His bank and creditors have been notified that his financial stability teeters on reaching an agreement with the drivers, and were aware that a strike was not out of the realm of possibility
Furthermore, Rood still refuses to timely direct pension contributions to the drivers plans timely, refuses to acquire and/or insure safe and reliable equipment, refuses to give the employees a say in how their benefit money is directed and mandates an outrageously expensive health care provider that most drivers can't afford. He continues to fire drivers for frivolous reasons only to be overturned by the NLRB, defies Court Orders concerning payments, and the list goes on-and-on. Apparently, if his creditors broached these topics, their concerns also fell on deaf ears.
Some drivers have been loyal to this company for over twenty years, and still hold out hope that Labor & Management, through agreements, can prosper together. The next move was their call.
At 5:00 PM Monday, the drivers decided that Rood was stung financially and their contracts with the Postal Service were in dire jeopardy... to the brink of collapse. In order to salvage their work, they elected to end the strike to keep the company viable, this time. The strike served its purpose to the extent practical, but this is not the end. The strike was not a singular event; it was part of the process to achieve the ultimate goal of a fair and decent contract. Their struggle continues.
PMAPWU made a conscious choice to keep the RTC strike somewhat removed from Postal employee involvement, and made no public plea for picket line support, but special acknowledgements must be given to those BMC and L&DC employees that willingly joined us on the picket lines. The RTC drivers also extend their thanks.
The picketers in the photo above are (left to right):
Norm Dzikowski, RTC; Joe Disalvo, L&DC; Tammy Shaw, RTC; Ron Shuster, L&DC; Glen Edwards, RTC; Mark Shaefer, L&DC; Dave Paugh, BMC; Joe Radovich, PMAPWU Organizer.
