Teamsters break off talks with truckers; results of strike vote expected Feb. 3

MIAMI (Jan. 22, 2003) — The Teamsters union called for a strike authorization vote yesterday after breaking off negotiations on a new national master freight agreement.

The union, which represents about 90,000 drivers and cargo handlers, said negotiators representing some of the largest less-than-truckload carriers in the United States refused to improve health care coverage and proposed a wage package below what was negotiated in 1998. The current deal expires March 31.

The union said its locals will hold a strike vote during the next two weeks, with results expected on Feb. 3.

“Now is the time for our members to show the employers our unity,” said Phil Young, the Teamsters national freight director. “The companies must recognize the contributions of our members to their success.”

The group bargaining for the trucking companies is the Motor Freight Carriers Association. Among the companies represented are Yellow Corp., Roadway Corp., and Arkansas Best.

In a statement, the association described the interruption as a “temporary recess” to allow each side to focus on the wage and benefit proposals.

Most of the country’s large LTL carriers showed improved financial performance during the last quarter of 2002, partially due to an influx of business following the bankruptcy and closure in September of Consolidated Freightways, then the third largest LTL carrier in North America.