Gail Werner: Autism Action Partnership & Collecting a Pay Check

A few years ago, I received a strange e-mail from a woman who claimed WernerScrews was full of prunes. I was besmirching the sacred name of C.L. Werner and his empyrean company. I always thought the message came from Gail Werner (C.L. Werner's daughter).

Gail Werner is an active socialite and a highfalutin financial raindancer in Omaha, NB. (Bernard Madoff did the same thing, but was less discriminating with his clients.) She might have two sons with autism, but this could not be solidly verified. Gail also performs an ancillary role as a public relations spokesperson for Werner Enterprises; it is not important if she is on Werner's payroll because her charity receives donations from Werner Enterprises.

Gail's charity, GWR Sunshine Foundation (now Autism Action Partnership) was concocted in 2000. Her charity raised more than $500,000 in 2008.

Gail Werner learned from her father the importance of having several names for a company--Werner Enterprises and Driver's Management, LLC. Gail Werner first named the charity GWR Sunshine Foundation in 2000 and, at the same time, she was CEO of GWR Wealth Management, LLC. The GWR Sunshine Foundation's name changed to Autism Action Partnership in 2008. Confused? Good luck determining where the donations are spent.

The University of Nebraska Medical Center tells part of the story:

"The majority of those funds go to support stipends, scholarships and social skills programs at UNMC's Munroe-Meyer Institute (MMI)."

The rest of the funds pay administrative costs--Gail Werner and her husband's, Scott Robertson, salaries. Gail's sexy black dress and silver/platinum cross are NOT hand me downs. I'm interested in the couple's combined compensation at Autism Action Partnership. I figure it is around $100,000/year--maybe a little less maybe a lot more. Rest assured, Gail and Scott are being well compensated for their compassion. However, Gail and Scott are not alone because business is business and charity is business.

Here is an other interesting quote from University of Nebraska Medical Center:

"Before taking the job as executive director, Hirschfeld was perfectly happy just volunteering with the GWR Sunshine Foundation. However, after much consideration, he and his wife decided that they had a vested interest in helping those with developmental disabilities and decided to take the next step."

In other words, Mr. Hirschfeld is now collecting a pay check. I love the wording! This smells like a lot of management for a small charity. It is sad that people who suffer from autism are being screwed by a shell company that pays a good portion of their donations to executive managers and expects the rest of their staff to be volunteers. The Autism Action Partnership is no better than Werner Enterprises! In fact, the Autism Action Partnership is more diabolical and despicable.

Do Gail and Scott do good? Yes, autism is a condition worthy of a charity and some adults and children with autism receive a modicum of help from the Autism Action Partnership. Is the motive behind Autism Action Partnership purely altruistic? Absolutely not! Charities are tax shelters for the rich. The University of Nebraska Medical Center doesn't care what kind of company Werner Enterprises is--only the gift$:

"In recognition of this gift, UNMC has established the C.L. Werner Family Neurodevelopmental Disorders Research Laboratories on the third level of the Durham Research Center II."

C.L. Werner would rather donate $10,000 to the Autism Action Partnership--paying his daughter's salary rather than handing it to Uncle Sam. It's a smart business move, but C.L.'s donations don't translate into having a "soft heart" or "being a kind man." These are two opposing facets. Werner Enterprises safety record speaks for itself.

The bitter truth is that some charities are tax shelters for the wealthy. C.L. Werner and Werner Enterprises both benefit from the positive public relations that the Autism Action Partnership creates. How will Werner Enterprises be remembered? 1. As a corporation that cheated and misguided thousands of employees, jeopardized the safety of thousands of drivers and was DIRECTLY responsible for the deaths of innocent highway motorists; or 2. As a corporation that gave thousands of dollars to autistic children? No brainer! It's the American Way! Pity the Werner driver with autism!

---WernerScrews 10-4

Werner Enterprises: Survival of the Greatest or Corporate Cockroach

With General Motors on the ropes, it seems that the great U.S. companies of yesterday are becoming burned-out shells today. The economic climate is unstable. Yet, in all this turmoil, one company has weathered the financial storm: Werner Enterprises. Some may think Werner Enterprises is handling the storm better because the are lean and competitive. If corporate survival is the only indicator that a company is “great,” survival is a poor one.

How Werner Enterprises operates:

1.Student drivers – the cheapest labor available.

2. Werner Enterprises is NOT a “diversified,” international company. Werner Enterprises has painted a mirage; freight forwarding has not delivered the profits Werner Enterprises has promised. Owners of Werner stock should REALLY research this because Werner Enterprises has pulled the alfalfa over plenty of corneas with this “Chinese freight forwarding scheme.” Werner Enterprises was and always will be a bottom feeder. The Werner Company Store makes more money than Werner in China selling rotten soy beans in a Shanghai street market.

3. As long as the Federal Government continues a blind eye towards Werner's highway "safety" (or lack of), Werner Enterprises will continue to be “successful.” A fleet of student drivers, with high turnover, doesn't bode well for highway safety advocates.

Werner's #1 Nightmare: The Union.
Consequences of Unionization

While non-union jobs have increased since the 1970s, driver's pay and highway safety has decreased. The Teamsters have little interest in unionizing Werner Enterprises, but the UAW is a strong possibility.

A strong union would benefit Werner drivers in five ways.

1. A solid, legitimate training/apprenticeship program.

2. A decrease in the 300% employee turnover. Increased employee retention. Yes, there still would be turnover, but not that high.

3. Increased pay for drivers based on seniority and NOT favoritism.

4.Better healthcare and retirement. An end to the: “I got hurt on the job and Werner fired me.”

5.Increased safety.

In some ways Werner Enterprises would benefit by becoming unionized. However, what is good for the drivers is poison for Werner executive management.

Action-Reaction

Werner executive management CANNOT work under a union model, unless C.L. and all his cronies were asked to pack-up and leave—using their corn husk suitcases. Werner Enterprises gives orders, it doesn't take them. Unionization has the strong possibility of forcing Werner Enterprises into bankruptcy.

In good or bad times, Werner Enterprises is able to generate a profit. This is accomplished solely by using cheap labor. Werner Enterprises has no problems finding drivers. Werner Enterprises—like McDonald's (see Fast Food Trucking)—is a service industry. Werner Enterprises manufactures nothing and has little intellectual property. There is nothing unique about Werner Enterprises. J.B. Hunt or Rick's Trucking could make the same deliveries. Contrasted, a McDonald's hamburger is unique compared to a Burger King hamburger or a Mel's Diner burger.

Werner's Longevity Cult

Before drinking the cherry Kool-Aid, understand how Werner operates. If you decide to worship a graven image of C.L. Werner—by placing his idol on a lofty, black marble alter in a musty, candle lite room--also include cockroaches. Cockroaches have been around since the Carboniferous period and are more worthy of your hymns.

---WernerScrews 10-4

Big Blue Screw

According to the Wiki on Werner Enterprises, Werner Enterprises has a 300% turnover rate. This is not an opinion, not a misstatement, but a fact--plain and simple. Here is another quote:

"Werner is commonly referred to as The Big Blue Screw by other drivers on the road."

I coined the term "Big Blue Screw" in the summer of 2001 and I am glad it is being frequently used to describe Werner Enterprises.

To escape this bad publicity, Werner started painting their equipment other colors to get away from the "Big Blue Screw." The tractors and trailers could be hot pink, but Werner will always be Werner; in other words, Werner will ALWAYS screw.

Stay safe.

---WernerScrews 10-4