TO RETAIN DRIVERS * USA: Some trucking companies try giving them a voice on the job
* Arkansas - But doing so carries risks, because of how American labor law treats employee input
-- At the invitation of the company he works for as an independent contractor, Little Rock, Ark.-based Central Hauling, Russell Walker, a 50-year-old truck driver from Louisiana, helped form an advisory board of nine drivers to represent the concerns of all 256 people in the fleet. The council now meets a few times a year with management to talk over issues such as safety, pay and driver training... More than a voice, the council has developed training modules to help drivers manage the business aspects of being an independent contractor, like keeping up with truck payments and minimizing fuel costs. And council members often field calls from colleagues who have issues while they’re out on the road, or even just when they’re lonely. Walker said the council has helped the drivers feel connected to the business... That solves a key problem for Central Hauling, as well. In an industry grappling with about 100 percent turnover every year, Central Hauling finished out 2015 at only half as much — which lowers recruiting costs, without having to woo drivers with more expensive perks... But in the U.S. the National Labor Relations Act, which governs employee voice in the wor, kplace, has a broad provision aimed at preventing the creation of “company unions”: Any quasi-representative body that discusses wages and working conditions and could functionally be controlled by bosses...
(Courtesy Central Hauling - Members of Central Hauling's contractor advisory board, with Russell Walker in front on the right) -- Little Rock, ARK, USA - The Washington Post, by Lydia DePillis - January 20, 2016
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