While no one can predict the fate of your company if you become unionized, you should know that the Teamsters' track record for its members keeping jobs is not a good one.
In fact, in 2002, the Teamsters' union assembled a "Blue Ribbon Commission" to study the union's finances. Comprised of top Teamster officers, this Blue Ribbon Commission (BRC) reported, among other things, the Teamsters union was losing an average of 12,000 members per year. One of the results of the BRC was for the Teamsters to raise its members dues 25% (without a vote of the members).
While the dues increase helped stabilize the union's finances, it did little to stem the loss of members from Teamster-represented companies that continue to lay off and, in many cases, close. Indeed, were it not for the acquisition of Overnite Transportation by UPS and its later unionization, as well as smaller unions (like the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and the Graphic Communications International Union) merging into the Teamsters, the Teamsters would be in far worse shape today.
For example, according to reports the union filed with the U.S. Department of Labor, from 2001 to 2002, the Teamsters lost more than 48,000 members.
Why do the Teamsters' union lose so many members? Very simply: Many of the companies the union has unionized cannot compete in a competitive market.
Take, for example, the trucking industry. In 1980, the United States Congress passed the Motor Carrier Act, which was signed into law by Democrat President Jimmy Carter.
The Motor Carrier Act deregulated interstate trucking. Government control of the trucking industry stopped and non-union competition increased. Price fixing went the way of the dinosaurs.
Deregulation of the trucking industry brought more competition because the costly process of government control of competition was eliminated. Most of the major union carriers in business prior to 1980 were not able to adapt to changes in the marketplace brought on by deregulation. Consequently, most major union carriers have gone out of business.
Below is a partial listing of Teamsters-represented companies that have gone out of business.
COMPANY
APPROX # OF EMPLOYEES
1
P.I.E. Nationwide
17,593
2
Consolidated Freightways
15,500
3
McLean Trucking Co.
14,530
4
American Freight System
10,981
5
Spector Redball
7,610
6
Maislin Transport
6,375
7
Hall's Motor Transit
5,809
8
Interstate Motor Freight
5,536
9
Preston Trucking
5,500
10
Transcon Lines
4,817
11
Lee Way Motor Frt.
4,139
12
Wilson Freight Co.
3,754
13
Mason & Dixon Lines
3,627
14
IML Freight
3,624
15
Jones Motor Company
3,547
16
NationsWay Transport Service
3,500
17
T.I.M.E. - D.C.
3,303
18
Branch Motor Express
3,032
19
Pilot Freight Carriers
2,685
20
Johnson Motor Lines
2,515
21
Pacific Motor Trucking
2,470
22
Commercial Lovelace Mtr. Frt.
2,467
23
ICX (ILL.-Calif. Express)
2,373
24
Gordons Transports
2,163
25
ANR Advanced Transportation
2,000
26
C W Transport
1,990
27
System 99
1,962
28
Briggs Transportation
1,805
29
Motor Freight Express
1,802
30
A-P-A Transport
1,800
31
Campbell Sixty-Six
1,704
32
Murphy Motor Freight
1,578
33
Cooper Jarrett
1,532
34
Milne Truck Lines
1,497
35
Sante Fe Trails Trnptn Co.
1,483
36
Holmes Transportation
1,352
37
Jones Truck Lines
1,312
38
North Penn Transfer
1,272
39
Eazor Express
1,268
40
Hemingway Transport
1,268
41
Oneida Motor Freight
1,251
42
Chief Freight Lines
1,038
43
Boss Linco Lines
1,012
44
Midwest Emery Frt Sys
993
45
Mid-American Line
971
46
Clairmont Transfer Co
969
47
Mushroom Transportation
941
48
BN Transport, Inc.
919
49
R-W Service System
837
50
Tucker Freight
837
51
G M W (Glendenning)
828
52
B & L Motor Freight
826
53
Silver Wheel Frt Lines
818
54
Lyons Transportation Lines
813
55
United Trucking Service
796
56
AAA Trucking Corp
765
57
Salt Creek Freightways
698
58
Davidson Transfer & Stor.
697
59
Orscheln Bros. Truck Lines
660
60
Wycoff Co. (Express Co.)
650
61
Rio Grande Motor Way
648
62
Suburban Motor Freight
621
63
Brada Miller Freight
616
64
Tennessee Carolina Transport
595
65
Con-Way Eastern Express
549
66
Cleve Columbus & Cin Hwy
541
67
Central Truck Lines
502
68
Mercury Freight Lines
484
69
Tose-Fowler, Inc.
479
70
Courier-Newsom Express
475
71
Advance-United Expways
460
72
Bender & Loudon Motor Frt
450
73
Admiral Merchants Mtr Frt
445
74
Renner's Express
438
75
Steve D. Thompson Trkg.
400
76
Perkins Trucking Co.
399
77
Brown Express
386
78
Chippwa Motor Freight
382
79
Sterling Transit Co.
382
80
Wenham Transportation
380
81
Cook Motor Lines
357
82
Fowler and Williams
348
83
Express Freight Lines
344
84
GA FLA ALA Transportation Co.
338
85
Denver Midwest Mtr. Frt
320
86
Gross Common Carrier
299
87
Mercury Motor Express, Inc.
293
88
Manley Truck Line
285
89
Liberty Trucking Co
281
90
Fox and Gin, Inc.
278
91
Auclair Transportation Co.
270
92
Browning Freight Lines
265
93
Suwak Transportation
261
94
Virginia-Carolina Freight Lines
260
95
Allegheny Freight Lines
249
96
Tobler Transfer
248
97
Smith Transportation Co.
235
98
Highway Express, Inc.
228
99
Wooleyhan Transport
207
100
Dignan Trucking, Inc.
197
101
North Shore and Cent ILL Frt. Co.
195
102
Beacon Fast Freight Co.
192
103
Bowling Green Express
187
104
Peters Truck Lines
171
105
Dean Truck Line
158
106
Pulaski Highway Express
154
107
P. Callahan, Inc.
153
108
Sioux Transportation
151
109
Berman's Motor Express
148
110
Best Way Motor Freight
134
111
Nebraska-Iowa Xpress
133
112
Kains Motor Service
131
113
Graf Brothers
129
114
Maiers Motor Frt. Co.
129
115
Intercity Transportation Co.
127
116
Reinhardt Transfer Co.
119
117
Badger Freightways
105
118
William Hayes Line
105
119
Horn's Motor Express
104
120
Standard Motor Freight
102
121
American Freightways Co.
90
122
Williamson Transportation
90
123
Turner Trucking Co.
89
124
Griffith Motor Express
89
125
F & W Express
88
126
Jersey Coast Frt Lines
86
127
Sims Motor Transport
82
128
Evans Delivery Co.
59
129
Kenmore Transportation
56
130
Seaway Motor Express
55
131
C & E Trucking Corp.
50
132
R.D. Motor Express
50
133
Murfreesboro Freight Line
44
134
Red Ball, Inc.
44
135
Root's Express
44
136
Carpenters Mtr. Frt.
39
137
Waverly Transfer
34
(SOURCES INCLUDE: Information prepared by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Economics Department Report written by Norman Weintraub, then Chief Economist of the IBT, articles from Transport Topics, and various newspaper reports.)
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