Dive Brief:
- International Brotherhood of Teamsters leadership voted unanimously Monday to endorse a tentative labor contract with TForce Freight, the union announced.
- The tentative agreement boosts wages, improves benefits and protects union jobs, the Teamsters said. "This contract contains zero concessions, only gains,” Teamsters General President Sean O’Brien said in a statement July 14, when the tentative deal was first reached.
- The LTL carrier's 7,800 rank-and-file union employees will vote on ratification this week. Upon approval, the five-year agreement would go into effect Aug. 1 and expire July 31, 2028.
Dive Insight:
TFI International-owned TForce Freight followed ABF Freight in inking a deal with a Teamsters union proudly dubbing itself “militant” as it battles with Yellow Corp., the largest, and other employers.
On the parcel side, the Teamsters agreed to a tentative contract with UPS Tuesday after threatening to strike.
Referring to the TForce Freight deal, O’Brien said, “We have forged a bold path forward with this new agreement. The gains achieved over the next five years by our members at TForce will pave the way for the entire freight industry.”
“Teamsters have again demonstrated that our tenacious, fighting spirit is the key to securing the best contracts,” he added.
The proposed contract contains provisions improving pay, adding time off and prohibiting technology the union deems “invasive” or threatening to union jobs, the Teamsters said. TForce Freight did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday on the tentative deal.
In the deal, local cartage drivers, road drivers and clerical workers at 126 Teamster locals are set to receive wage increases of $4.50 per hour over the five-year agreement, according to the union. The deal eliminates split wage increases and two-tier wages, the union said.
TForce Freight has also agreed to increase health, welfare and pension plan contributions; to recognize Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a paid holiday; and to add two discretionary days to the contractual minimum, increasing the total number of those days to six, the union said.
The deal requires all newly purchased TForce Freight equipment and vehicles to have air conditioning. The carrier would not be allowed to use cameras to discipline drivers, and may not use robots, driverless vehicles, drones or other technology to move freight or replace workers.
Work rule protections in the contract would prohibit road drivers from being ordered to work terminal docks, except for the current mini-hub operations, and require TForce Freight to obtain union approval to expand the mini-hubs.
The agreement would also protect road drivers against subcontracting by putting penalties in place to assure rail and subcontracting come back into the bargaining unit, the union said.
“Months of hard work and commitment have paid off, resulting in a comprehensive agreement that addresses our members’ top priorities and delivers substantial economic gains and non-economic enhancements to benefit every Teamster at TForce,” Teamsters National Freight Director John Murphy said in a statement.
