Teamsters Ratify New Labor Pact
By Oliver B. Patton, Washington Editor
By a wide margin, members of the Teamsters union endorsed the five-year National Master Freight Agreement worked out between their leaders and trucking company managers.
Eighty-four percent of the members voted in favor of a pact that gives them a hefty wage and benefit boost. The agreement also gives trucking companies the flexibility to be more competitive in the less-than-truckload business.
According to General President James P. Hoffa, the deal gives Teamsters their largest monetary package ever, with an average 3.4% increase in wages and benefits. In addition, they do not have to co-pay for their health care. For its part, management won a five-year term on the contract, up from the current three years, flexibility in work rules and the ability to open new lines of business, such as expedited and next-day service.
"I'm pleased that our members ratified this contract, because it is the most improved master freight agreement I've ever been involved with," said Teamsters Freight Director Phil Young, a veteran negotiator. "Beyond the solid wage and benefit increases, there is language that improves our members' daily conditions on the job."
Also pleased was Timothy Lynch, president and CEO of the Motor Freight Carriers Assn., which represents the trucking companies - ABF Freight System, Roadway Express, USF Holland and Yellow Transportation. "This new labor agreement sends a very strong message to the marketplace: These companies have the stability of a long-term labor agreement and all the tools necessary to position themselves as reliable, full-service transportation providers today, tomorrow and well into the future."
Washington Report continued...
