Teamster and management negotiators completed work last week on nearly all regional supplemental negotiations, paving the way to begin national negotiations on a new National Master Freight Agreement later this month.

"We have made steady progress during the first three rounds of talks and the formal exchange of national contract proposals is an important step in the process of negotiating a new National Master Freight Agreement," said Tim Lynch, President and CEO of the Motor Freight Carriers Assn. (MFCA).
"Following conclusion of the few remaining supplemental issues, we will begin national negotiations on Dec. 16," Lynch added.
Honoring a commitment to refrain from discussion of specific contract proposals, Lynch did express confidence that a new agreement can be reached well in advance of the current contract's expiration date of March 31. "While both sides have important issues to discuss, we all understand that in today's competitive marketplace it is critical we maintain customer confidence," Lynch said.
Phil Young, co-chair of the Teamsters National Freight Industry Negotiating Committee (TNFINC), said, "We had an understanding with the employers that we would come close to finishing the supplements before beginning national talks, and we are almost done with those agreements," said.
"We have achieved major improvements in all of the supplements, and we now look forward to beginning work on the national portion of the contract."
National negotiations will begin Dec. 16 in Washington, D.C.
The proposals exchanged Thursday were primarily non-economic and did not include specific numbers regarding wages and benefit contribution levels. Those issues will be negotiated in coming sessions.
"The national talks will be the most difficult because we will be seeking fair compensation for our members, along with job, pension and health security, and significant changes in non-economic language," Young said. "But we're ready for that challenge because our union and our members are united. We look forward to negotiating a strong contract that our members can be proud of."
The current NMFA covers about 65,000 Teamsters nationwide. The freight companies negotiating the NMFA are Roadway Express, Yellow Transportation, ABF Freight System and USF Holland.