ABF Freight and the Teamsters National Freight Industry Negotiating Committee kicked off contract negotiations last week, setting the stage for another potential union showdown with an LTL carrier.
The bargaining will decide a new national contract for more than 8,000 union-represented ABF Freight workers. The current contract expires June 30.
"We are militant in our resolve, and we will not settle for anything less than a contract that reflects the value of our members’ hard work and dedication," Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien said in a statement. “We are demanding a national contract that protects our members and resets standards in the freight industry.”
An ABF Freight spokesperson declined to comment.
The union’s negotiating committee consists of leaders from around the country, as well as rank-and-file members committed to securing a strong new agreement.
The Teamsters surveyed members about their key concerns, and “their input has been crucial to our contract proposals and ensuring that our members’ voices come first,” Teamsters National Freight Director John A. Murphy said in a statement.
“We will demand everything our members deserve at the table," Murphy said.
The union struck a tone in announcing the negotiations that indicated no end to the union’s recent fireworks as it enters contract negotiations with ABF Freight, TForce Freight and Yellow Corp.
The Teamsters are already in the thick of a fight with Yellow over the LTL carrier’s network reorganization, which seeks to close terminals, merge seniority lists and require drivers to work the docks.
