(The following is a press release from the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.)
WASHINGTON — The International Brotherhood of Teamsters today announced that members covered by the National Master Freight Agreement (NMFA) voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike should a job action become necessary to obtain a fair and decent contract. Secret ballot votes were taken at membership meetings during the past 10 days of more than 200 local unions who represent Teamster freight members. According to preliminary results, more than 95 percent of members voted for a strike authorization.
“This strike vote shows that our freight members are solidly behind our negotiators,” said Jim Hoffa, General President and Chairman of the Teamsters National Freight Industry Negotiating Committee (TNFINC). “The strike vote has already had an impact by leading to a quick return to talks later this week. The employers must now respond with solid wage and health-care proposals.”
The TNFINC called for a strike-authorization vote on Monday, January 20 after negotiations broke off over economic issues. The companies negotiating the NMFA are ABF Freight System, Roadway Express, Yellow Freight and USF Holland. The companies’ last offer would have forced some Teamsters to pay a share of their health costs, which has never occurred under the NMFA. The latest wage offer also fell short of those contained in the 1998 NMFA.
The NMFA, which expires March 31, covers more than 65,000 Teamsters at ABF, Roadway Express, USF Holland and Yellow. Smaller carriers that traditionally adopt similar contracts employ another 20,000 Teamsters.
“We will not accept a contract that takes us backward,” said Phil Young, Teamsters Freight Division Director and Co-Chairman of the TNFINC. “Our members deserve to be rewarded for helping make these companies profitable.”
Contract negotiations are set to resume Wednesday February 5 in Chicago.
Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents more than 85,000 hard working men and women in the freight industry and more than 1.4 million workers throughout the United States and Canada.