ABF Freight System, International Brotherhood of Teamsters to Begin Negotiations for Next Collective Bargaining Agreement

ABF Freight System, Inc., one of the nation’s largest less-than-truckload freight carriers, and the Teamsters National Freight Industry Negotiating Committee (TNFINC) announced on Wednesday that they expect to begin negotiations on a new collective bargaining agreement on December 18, 2012.

TNFINC is the negotiating arm of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. ABF is the largest subsidiary of Arkansas Best Corporation and was founded in 1923. The current collective bargaining agreement, known as the National Master Freight Agreement, expires at midnight on March 31, 2013. It covers approximately 7,800 ABF Teamster employees in various locations across the United States, including road drivers, city drivers, dockworkers, mechanics and clerical personnel.

“We look forward to working together with TNFINC to create an agreement for our future that allows ABF to be more competitive,” said Roy Slagle, ABF president and chief executive officer. “Our goal is to reach an agreement that enables us to better compete in a rapidly changing freight transportation market on behalf of our customers, our employees and our shareholders.”