International Brotherhood of Teamsters members overwhelmingly ratified their new five-year employment contract with ABF Freight, the union and carrier announced Friday.
Two of the 27 regional supplement agreements — the Southern Garage and Western States Pickup & Delivery — failed to pass, but the two sides said they reached tentative deals on each supplement Friday. Members will vote on the remaining items this week.
“It remains business as usual at ABF as the negotiating teams work through the final two remaining supplements,” ArcBest said in a statement. “ABF employees will continue to work under terms of the current contract during this process.”
The new contract, which represents about 8,600 employees at the ArcBest Corp.-owned LTL carrier, increases wages and benefits, and also adds two additional sick days, a paid Martin Luther King Jr. holiday and other provisions.
The Teamsters, which have 137 union locals representing ABF Freight members across the country, said the deal will serve as a model for freight industry collective bargaining agreements.
“It will set the tone for national freight contracts moving forward,” Teamsters General President Sean O’Brien in a statement. “The gains made at the table will be long-lasting and far-reaching.”
Those gains — at the same time the union is in heated negotiations with other freight carriers in LTL and beyond — include $6.50 in raises over the course of the deal. The Teamsters also negotiated prohibitions against ABF Freight using inward-facing cameras, audio recorders, body and biometric sensors or driverless autonomous vehicles.
Teamsters National Freight Director John Murphy said in a statement the vote showed union members agree the new contract is strong and will protect them.
“We have paved the way for a brighter future for every Teamster at ABF,” Murphy said.
