Walmart Truckers Score $100 Million Lost Wages Victory In Court

Indy, it sounds like you're just jealous....

Lol.... I've resisted saying the saying the same of most of the commenters in this thread. You all seem to be offended that these "rich" (yes, someone here called them "rich") Walmart drivers would dare want to be paid for all of the work they do ... Just because they are already among the highest paid drivers out there. You're offended by their action because they make more than you.... Simply, out of envy.

Me, I think they are helping the rest of us... Raising the bar.

They are rich. $80,000 plus per year puts a family (not just an individual) into the top 27% of incomes in the richest country on earth. What else are you going to call it? In my experience, people who are making that kind of money rarely think they're well off because they spend a lot and want more, so they'll say that the rich people are the ones who ____________ (own a bigger house, make six figures, make seven figures, live off their interest and dividends, etc. - whatever it is they can't do but want to). The average lawyer makes about $90,000 a year, doctors maybe a little more. (Are you listening, Jimmy?) Most people consider them rich, but if $80,000 is peanuts to you, I don't know what to say.

I have no problem with rich people. The guy who currently employs me is a billionaire. I have never gotten a job from a poor person. I know that at least ten of my friends from college are millionaires. I'm OK with that. They earned it.

And I don't begrudge the Walmart drivers their salaries. If I could get that kind of money driving a truck, I'd gladly accept it. What is irritating about this lawsuit is that they weren't satisfied, and dreamed up a way to increase their income for sleeping. Negotiate a higher salary, negotiate for better benefits, but please don't tell me you deserve to be paid for sleeping, and then don't turn around when you actually get paid to sleep and sue for more pay while you're sleeping. That's just plain old b.s., and that's what's irritating. It doesn't raise the bar for the rest of us. It makes us all look like a bunch of crybabies.

Unfortunately I don't have a solution for higher pay across the industry other than the old supply and demand model. Soon enough we may be competing with robots that don't require any pay or any sleep - probably not in my working lifetime, but soon enough. And there are other jobs that are going that way as well. Ask the people at Disney who are being forced to train their foreign replacements who will work for half the money. Ask the folks who used to make good money making furniture and textiles in North Carolina but lost their jobs to China or Mexico or somewhere. The global market is already here, and the only thing making it possible for truckers to make the money we do now is that it's somewhat difficult to get a CDL for the people who think that $50,000 a year is great money and would happily do it for $30,000.

As Brett said, this is a case of people wrecking a good thing for themselves.

You all seem to be offended that these "rich" (yes, someone here called them "rich") Walmart drivers would dare want to be paid for all of the work they do ... Just because they are already among the highest paid drivers out there. You're offended by their action because they make more than you.... Simply, out of envy.

First of all, If that's the best conclusion you can draw from my explanation and the explanation of others about how this may hurt trucking a lot more than it may help then you're clearly not listening.

Let me try one last time. Walmart went out of its way to hire the best of the best and pay essentially the highest wages and benefits in the industry. This kind of action is going to discourage Walmart and others from creating similar high paying jobs and recruiting top drivers in the hopes the investment will pay off. Walmart's thinking was that trucking is so important to their business that it's worth investing extra money to create their own fleet, hire the best drivers, and give them the best benefits and wages.

And to thank Walmart for the great job, wages, benefits, equipment, and home time the drivers turn around and sue for even more money. And of all things it's to be paid for sleeping, not working.

If you're running Walmart does it seem to you at this point your investment is paying off? Was it worth it? No. Not only did you spend a ton of extra money on these drivers but now you're going to lose a whole bunch more and probably wind up subbing out your distribution to common carriers like everyone likely thought you should have after all.

If that happens then thousands of Walmart drivers lose $80,000-$100,000 per year jobs. Not only that, but other companies that were using a similar business model or planning on doing so in the future will be discouraged from paying more for better drivers because it simply didn't pay off for those who have tried it in the past.

Does that sound like envy? No. It's simple logic. If someone takes a chance and it fails spectacularly then people will be discouraged from taking that same chance in the future. Walmart took a chance on truckers. They took a chance and decided to pay double the average wage and benefits to create an awesome workplace for the best of the best that the industry has to offer and now they're getting kicked in the teeth for it by the people they thought they could count on.

Me, I think they are helping the rest of us... Raising the bar.

Indy, you keep saying this and I keep asking you to explain how you came to this conclusion. I've told you my theory that this will discourage the formation of high paying jobs and private fleets in the future. And even if a law was passed saying that truckers have to get paid for sitting in the sleeper berth don't you think the companies will simply restructure their pay packages so that in the end drivers wind up making the same as they do now? Or do you somehow believe that companies across the country will simply start paying their drivers more?

You all seem to be offended that these "rich" (yes, someone here called them "rich") Walmart drivers would dare want to be paid for all of the work they do ... Just because they are already among the highest paid drivers out there. You're offended by their action because they make more than you.... Simply, out of envy.

First of all, If that's the best conclusion you can draw from my explanation and the explanation of others about how this may hurt trucking a lot more than it may help then you're clearly not listening.

Let me try one last time. Walmart went out of its way to hire the best of the best and pay essentially the highest wages and benefits in the industry. This kind of action is going to discourage Walmart and others from creating similar high paying jobs and recruiting top drivers in the hopes the investment will pay off. Walmart's thinking was that trucking is so important to their business that it's worth investing extra money to create their own fleet, hire the best drivers, and give them the best benefits and wages.

And to thank Walmart for the great job, wages, benefits, equipment, and home time the drivers turn around and sue for even more money. And of all things it's to be paid for sleeping, not working.

If you're running Walmart does it seem to you at this point your investment is paying off? Was it worth it? No. Not only did you spend a ton of extra money on these drivers but now you're going to lose a whole bunch more and probably wind up subbing out your distribution to common carriers like everyone likely thought you should have after all.

If that happens then thousands of Walmart drivers lose $80,000-$100,000 per year jobs. Not only that, but other companies that were using a similar business model or planning on doing so in the future will be discouraged from paying more for better drivers because it simply didn't pay off for those who have tried it in the past.

Does that sound like envy? No. It's simple logic. If someone takes a chance and it fails spectacularly then people will be discouraged from taking that same chance in the future. Walmart took a chance on truckers. They took a chance and decided to pay double the average wage and benefits to create an awesome workplace for the best of the best that the industry has to offer and now they're getting kicked in the teeth for it by the people they thought they could count on.

Me, I think they are helping the rest of us... Raising the bar.

Indy, you keep saying this and I keep asking you to explain how you came to this conclusion. I've told you my theory that this will discourage the formation of high paying jobs and private fleets in the future. And even if a law was passed saying that truckers have to get paid for sitting in the sleeper berth don't you think the companies will simply restructure their pay packages so that in the end drivers wind up making the same as they do now? Or do you somehow believe that companies across the country will simply start paying their drivers more?

Since when did you become a seer and where is your crystal ball? What is your track record on predicting the future? Do you at least have a 50% success rate?

I could care less what happened to retail stores r their employees. I am very curious what the appeals court is going to say about this.

What is irritating about this lawsuit is that they weren't satisfied, and dreamed up a way to increase their income for sleeping. Negotiate a higher salary, negotiate for better benefits, but please don't tell me you deserve to be paid for sleeping, and then don't turn around when you actually get paid to sleep and sue for more pay while you're sleeping. That's just plain old b.s., and that's what's irritating.

Applause.gif

Seriously, thank god SOMEbody else here gets it.

Atilla posted:

Since when did you become a seer and where is your crystal ball? What is your track record on predicting the future? Do you at least have a 50% success rate?

Atilla, many people have opinions. Some opinions are different from yours. Unfortunately you may not agree with some of these opinions. This is what discussion is all about, not a time to mash people who do not agree with you.

dang!

I could care less what happened to retail stores r their employees

Ah nice Attila. That's classy of ya.

I think Brett is spot on with his assessment.

IF Wal-Mart and everybody else eliminates their own fleets and outsources the transport of goods, it just mean everybody else in those other carriers will eventually get raises. X amount of goods/cargo must be delivered weakly. Demand of it says so. The only question is WHO is going to deliver it.

As far as wages go, demand will determine the rate. Skill and past performance with have a effect on that rate.

They are rich. $80,000 plus per year puts a family (not just an individual) into the top 27% of incomes in the richest country on earth. What else are you going to call it?

...

... What is irritating about this lawsuit is that they weren't satisfied, and dreamed up a way to increase their income for sleeping. ...

...

A household income of 80,000-100,000 is considered middle-class in most of the U.S..

Fact is, this sort of income was common for truckers before Ronald Reagan. Take the average salary of a trucker back in the '70's and correct for inflation to the present day and you'll find it was about what Walmart drivers are making now. My father-in-law, a 40+ year truck driver, was able to buy his family a very nice home and pay it off in 5 years back then. Trucking used to be a very solid middle class occupation.... Still is for Walmart drivers and at some other companies. ...

It is not that unusual for trucking companies to put their drivers up in nice hotels when they require a break out on the road. Just about every major LTL company does it, at considerable expense. So, there might be some merit to drivers wanting some compensation for having to sleep in a truck. And, if the company requires that they sleep in the truck to protect high-value loads, then that might also justify a claim for compensation for that time...

First of all, If that's the best conclusion you can draw from my explanation and the explanation of others about how this may hurt trucking a lot more than it may help then you're clearly not listening.

I'm listening ... I understand .... but it's all just speculation. I can speculate too.

Walmart is appealing the decision. They might win and everything will stay as it is.

They might lose again. Then, maybe, just maybe, they make concessions to their drivers... or, maybe they restructure their pay package to comply with the ruling, while still paying out the same amount overall... or, maybe they can all of their drivers and liquidate their fleet ... these are all logical possibilities.

If they liquidate their fleet... they will hire other carriers to haul their freight. Drivers at these carriers will likely see substantial pay increases. ... Good for them!

I'm more concerned about the poor s.o.b. making 0.30/mile and having to fight tooth and nail to get well-deserved accessory pay. This decision will help that guy.... that's my speculation...

plus I know most of you guys dont live in California... 80,000 a year is not that much, and a trucker that grows up in compton shouldnt be forced to move to Alabama or North Carolina just because he became a trucker. (the average home in compton will run you about 1500 a month)

$80,000 puts you in the 73rd percentile. In other words, a person makes more than 73% of all the other people who file taxes. And that's just the U.S. - I'm sure those earnings would be in the top 5-10% in the world. If you can't live on that, there's something seriously wrong with your expenses.

But please, don't move out of California. Most of the people in North Carolina and Alabama probably don't want you moving to their state. That goes for Colorado, too. We all agree you should stay in Compton. Please. If it's too expensive there, maybe try moving to the central valley. Fresno seemed really nice when I was there. Rio Linda has some nice houses too.

i think you took my point the wrong way. lol. im a west virginia boy living in california. i got along perfectly fine with the Alabama folks today just fine. GO AUBURN!!!