Union's freight director denies contract, benefits negotiations under way
The International Brotherhood of Teamsters said no talks are under way with ABF Freight System that would result in concessions for its members.
"There is an erroneous media report that the International Brotherhood of Teamsters National Freight Division is in negotiations with ABF that would result in concessions for our members represented under the National Master Freight Agreement," Teamsters National Freight Director Tyson Johnson said in a statement today. "Let me be clear – this report is false," he said.
Speaking at the annual Transcomp and Intermodal Expo on Nov. 16, ABF Chief Operating Officer Wesley R. Kemp told reporters, "We are in a dialogue with the Teamsters and hopefully we will reach an agreement soon."
He said the carrier expects to win wage concessions similar to the givebacks that lowered wages some 15 percent at YRC Worldwide, the nation’s largest LTL operator. The agreement between the Teamsters and YRC negotiated a couple of months ago, said Kemp, “was just too great a difference to ignore” between the cost structures at the country’s only large unionized LTL carriers.
ABF also wants to restructure the company’s pension system by switching to a profit-sharing arrangement to match the savings YRC is gaining from an 18-month hiatus from contributing to the driver pension plan. Kemp said talks have been “productive and cordial.”
In his statement, Johnson said, "In fact, we are not having contract or concession discussions with the company."
