Pros
Great health insurance. Union protection. Union benefits.
Cons
Don't let management discover your true talent or true speed, they'll expect perfection while others drag a*s. No matter how fast or competent you are, your pay won't reflect it. Only time in service matters. ($1/yr)Your supervisor will attack you if you're deliberately giving average performance once you learn that being as average as possible is your only way to put up with working in the shop. I'm not talking about delaying operations or trying to bleed the company dry. Just average pace. Management loves to rely on their MVP's but not pay them extra, the only benefit an MVP will receive is getting a little closer to the 20/hr/wk mark rather than being cut at 3.5 hours. We even have a guy who has a side deal with building mgr to come in over an hour early and about an hour late after our shift.There are a few average pace loaders/unloaded that were smart enough to "keep it average" from the get go. If your buddy buddy with sup, you might get to work internationals indefinitely or air trailer indefinitely. In defense, air is exclusive to a certain employee usually. If its a small center, your barely going to be able to feed youself. Until you get full time, good luck surviving without a second job. And my regions cost of living is very doable. The morale is fairly toxic, pride in your work is becoming rare. Maybe one fifth of crew have it. I can almost promise that there's no recipe for success until you become a driver. Until I was a teamster I thought blending in was cowardice. I would'nt want hold back if I were a driver, that's actually good pay and hours. Bottom line: Everyone is incentivised to schlep through the shift. Unless supervisor has any inkling that you are talented or fast. Management can play their games, but we have to be DARN grateful for our $200/wk. And if any old schoolers are offended, our generation is here to stay either way. Unions enable this animus. I'm not alone. That's for sure.