Teamsters, ABF Freight reach tentative five-year contract

Under threat of a strike, ABF Freight System and the Teamsters National Freight Industry Negotiating Committee have tentatively agreed to terms for a new national five-year contract.

Once ratified, the proposed five-year contract will provide members with wage increases and improvements to benefits and working conditions, among other gains, according to a news release from the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.

A Teamsters meeting is planned next week in Chicago to review the tentative ABF Freight agreement before sending it to the union membership for a ratification vote.

“At the start of negotiations, we promised to fight like hell for our members at ABF. I can confidently say that we did just that. This tentative agreement is a testament to our hard work, strength, and determination at the bargaining table,” John A. Murphy, Teamsters freight division director, said in the news release. “I want to thank the entire negotiating team for their hard work and commitment throughout the bargaining process, especially our rank-and-file members who served on the committee.”

The Teamsters represent about 8,600 ABF Freight System truck drivers, dock workers and other members nationwide. The current five-year agreement expires June 30.

In late May, ABF Teamsters members voted to authorize a strike. The union reported that 97.73% of the votes cast were to authorize a strike. In a May 24 news release, it was noted that “ABF made a record $298.2 million in profits last year on $3 billion in revenue.”

It also noted that technology – including inward-facing cameras and in-cab monitoring and autonomous equipment – had been important issues in negotiations.

The ABF Freight Systems-Teamsters tentative contract comes at a time when the Teamsters also are negotiating with TForce Freight, formerly UPS Freight, and Yellow Corp.

Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 1.2 million workers in the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico.

ABF Freight System Inc., a subsidiary of ArcBest Corp, is a national less-than-truckload freight carrier based in Fort Smith, Ark. It has a network of 239 service centers across all 50 states, Canada and Puerto Rico. LL

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