Teamsters Honor Strike; Stores Left In Lurch
Store Managers Driving Big Rigs
POSTED: 4:41 p.m. PDT October 23, 2003
SAN DIEGO -- At the beginning of the supermarket strike, the Teamsters union said it would support the walkout and not cross the picket line. For grocers, this meant Teamsters drivers would not make deliveries.
With Teamsters respecting the picket line, store managers have been left in a lurch.
On the first day of the strike, drivers got out of their trucks and store managers were forced to handle the semitrailers.
Students at United Truck School are learning to drive big rigs.
"You start realizing how large they are and look down at other drivers. It's quite a handful," said Aaron Newman, a student at United Truck School.
Before ever getting behind the wheel, students undergo rigorous classroom work, background checks and a permitting process through the Department of Motor Vehicles. It takes about four weeks to obtain an operator's license and costs about $4,300.
But because of the grocery strike, jobs await graduates, and interest in driving has increased. Store managers are hiring graduates to get the big rigs from the curbs to the loading docks.
Cheryl Hanley, from the United Truck School, said, "We have received some of those calls, but most of our calls have been from the stores looking for people to help them out at this time."
The fact is, 80 percent of the students have jobs waiting once they get their Class A licenses.
"Everyone's been telling me that as long as you have your Class A license, you'll always have a job. I think it's the way to go because everything has to be trucked somewhere," Newman said.
 GROCERY STRIKE LOCK OUT  VOTE: Cross Picket Line To Shop? DISCUSS: Share Your Thoughts EMAIL ALERT: Sign Up For Grocery Strike Major Development Emails LINKS:  UFCW135.comAlbertsons.comSafeway.comVons.com |
With Teamsters respecting the picket line, store managers have been left in a lurch.
On the first day of the strike, drivers got out of their trucks and store managers were forced to handle the semitrailers.
Students at United Truck School are learning to drive big rigs.
"You start realizing how large they are and look down at other drivers. It's quite a handful," said Aaron Newman, a student at United Truck School.
Before ever getting behind the wheel, students undergo rigorous classroom work, background checks and a permitting process through the Department of Motor Vehicles. It takes about four weeks to obtain an operator's license and costs about $4,300.
But because of the grocery strike, jobs await graduates, and interest in driving has increased. Store managers are hiring graduates to get the big rigs from the curbs to the loading docks.
Cheryl Hanley, from the United Truck School, said, "We have received some of those calls, but most of our calls have been from the stores looking for people to help them out at this time."
The fact is, 80 percent of the students have jobs waiting once they get their Class A licenses.
"Everyone's been telling me that as long as you have your Class A license, you'll always have a job. I think it's the way to go because everything has to be trucked somewhere," Newman said.Copyright 2003 by TheSanDiegoChannel.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
