Talks got under way this week between the Teamsters union and several large trucking companies over a contract known as the National Master Freight Agreement. The 5-year contract covers 65,000 members of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters,
and includes companies that move a combined 263 million tons of freight each year, according to the Wall Street Journal. They include Roadway Corp., Arkansas Best Corp and Yellow Corp. The Motor Freight Carriers Assn represents the group.
The current Teamsters contract expires March 31, 2003.
The two sides will consider such issues as health-care cost increases and wages. Another issue is how much the companies are permitted under the contract to move by rail. The union wants a larger share of goods to be shipped by truck.
Trucking firms are expected to point to Consolidated Freightway's recent collapse to show that the industry needs the union's help to keep companies competitive. Consolidated, which shut its doors last month, was the victim of high costs and inefficient operations.