Hundreds of thousands of workers on strike across the logistics industry would grind to a halt a significant portion of the United States economy. The Teamsters are clearly concerned about what a unified struggle of ABF, Yellow, and UPS truckers would mean. The deal also comes amid accelerated talks with Yellow, another major trucking corporation looking to cut labor costs and force workers to pay to boost corporate profits. More than 340,000 workers are expected to authorize a strike against the shipping giant in voting over the next week, which has been hastily organized by the Teamsters in order to limit participation. The announcement of ABF’s tentative agreement came just day before a strike vote was announced at UPS. Anything below the rate of inflation will be an effective wage cut for ABF drivers. In total, the wage increases over the life of the five-year contract amounted to barely over two dollars an hour.ĭespite the record profits of ArcBest, they would not have easily given up any wage increase that meets the needs of workers, who are dealing with record inflation. Under the current contract, ABF drivers receive a maximum five cents an hour cost-of-living adjustment each year. Data from Zip Recuiter, another major job board, places the national average for LTL drivers at around $53,000 a year. Automation was reportedly a major point of discussion during the contract negotiations and ABF truck drivers make an average of $21.76 an hour, or $43,000 a year, according to job board site Indeed. Last year ArcBest made over $298 million in profit on $3 billion in revenue.Īn important part of ArcBest’s profitability is keeping labor costs down. The company’s support for the ratification of the contract suggests that the highly profitable corporation is pleased with what the contract could mean for its bottom line. Speaking in favor of the contract, a company spokesperson for ArcBest said “We are pleased with this successful outcome for our employees, our customers and other stakeholders who rely on us and thank everyone for their continued patience as we work toward full contract ratification.” If the union’s claims about significant gains were true, they would be proclaiming it from the rooftops, rather than withholding even the most general information about the deal. The tentative agreement is most likely a sellout designed to avoid strike action and protect corporate profits. Workers had previously approved strike action with 97 percent voting to authorize a strike. Representatives from the Teamsters will meet in Chicago next week to review the proposed five-year contract before sending it to members for a vote. Truckers have only been provided the vague promises that “the proposed five-year contract will provide members with wage increases and improvements to benefits and working conditions, among other gains,” according to a press release from the Teamsters. No details about the tentative deal have been released by the union so far. The International Brotherhood of Teamsters has announced a tentative agreement for 8,600 truck drivers at ABF Freight, a national less-than-truckload (LTL) shipping company owned by the ArcBest Corporation.
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