Teamsters and TMI/YRC Worldwide reach tentative agreement on freight contract
Bill Zollars, Chairman, President and CEO of YRC Worldwide and James P. Hoffa, General President International Brotherhood of Teamsters announced in late August that negotiations would begin early for the National Master Freight Agreement. A tentative agreement was reached Thursday. (PRNewsFoto/YRC Worldwide Inc.)
The Trucker Staff
12/14/2007
WASHINGTON and OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — The International Brotherhood of Teamsters and Trucking Management Inc./YRC Worldwide have reached a tentative agreement on a new National Master Freight Agreement (NMFA), the union and the company said in separate statements Thursday.
The five-year labor contract covers most dockworkers, drivers and certain other union employees. The present NMFA expires March 31, 2008.
“The freight industry and our freight members are faced with many challenges, but this agreement will protect our tens of thousands of freight members’ futures, giving them the security they deserve,” said Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa, “Our entire National Negotiating Committee, led by Vice President Tyson Johnson, did a great job protecting our members’ jobs and benefits.”
TMI is the multi-employer bargaining representative for YRC Worldwide subsidiaries Yellow Transportation, Roadway and USF Holland. The YRC Worldwide subsidiary New Penn has also agreed to accept the terms of the tentative agreement, according to the YRC statement.
“The early outcome of these negotiations is positive for our employees and positive for our customers,” said Mike Smid, president and CEO of YRC North American Transportation. “With the major hurdle of the NMFA behind us, we are now positioned to remain competitive in a very challenging industry environment.”
Johnson, director of the Teamsters National Freight Division and lead negotiator for the union, said the agreement improves the grievance procedure for workers and addresses the issue of excessive overtime.
No details of the agreement were made available.
“This is an excellent agreement,” said Johnson, “It provides good wage increases and protects members’ jobs and their health, welfare and pension benefits. It also allows the unionized freight companies to better compete with the non-union companies and gives the unionized companies opportunities to grow business in new areas.”
The NMFA covers about 75,000 union freight members. Leaders from freight local unions will meet soon to approve the tentative contract, which would pave the way for members to vote on the agreement, the union statement explained.