The Teamsters union and unionized car haulers start negotiations this week for a new national carhaul contract that covers almost 6,000 employees.

The National Automobile Transporters Industry Negotiating Committee exchanged contract proposals last week with the employer group, the National Automobile Transporters Labor Division.

The National Master Automobile Transporters Agreement and its supplements expire on August 31.

The last NMATA, ratified in 2011, was the first since the mid-1990s to provide wage increases in each year of the contract, according to the Journal of Commerce, which also notes that the union may be in a strong negotiating position because auto sales are booming.

The number of auto haulers represented by the NATLD has shrunk over the years and  primarily represents Jack Cooper Transport and Cassens Transport. Jack Cooper is the largest U.S. car-hauler, having acquired bankrupt rival Allied Systems in late 2013. 

The second-largest car-hauler is nonunion United Road, which bought Waggoners Trucking in late 2013.