TForce Freight and the Teamsters union on Thursday tentatively agreed to terms for a new five-year national contract that provide improvements to wages and benefits.
The more than 7,000 membership union previously had authorized a strike at TForce Freight, formerly UPS Freight and now a subsidiary of TFI International (No. 4), if the two sides didn't reach an agreement by the July 31 expiration of their contract.
[Related: UPS readies for strike, starts business continuity training]
“This contract contains zero concessions, only gains," said Sean M. O’Brien, Teamsters general president and chair of the Teamsters National Freight Industry Negotiating Committee (TNFINC). "Once again, Teamsters have proven that the only way to take on the employer and get the best contracts is by being a militant, fighting union."
The tentative agreement includes the highest wage increases in the history of the national contract the union said, protections against subcontracting, a return to work for laid-off workers, pension increases, reduced insurance premiums, language against road drivers working the dock, work preservation, and card-check neutrality.
Teamster representatives will meet in Washington July 24 to review the tentative agreement before sending it to the membership for a ratification vote.
“This hard-fought agreement represents a significant achievement for our union and lays the foundation for a stronger and more prosperous future for TForce Teamsters,” said John A. Murphy, Teamsters National Freight Director and TNFINC Co-Chair.
TForce Freight is one of the largest LTL carriers in the U.S., and Teamsters represent approximately 7,800 local cartage drivers, road drivers and clerical workers with the carrier at 126 local unions nationwide.
