THE truckers' teamsters union has wrested a tentative agreement with ABF Freight System not to deploy driverless trucks without the consent of the union, reports New York's Journal of Commerce.
The tentative contract includes a US$3.50-per-hour - 8.75 cents per mile - from July 1 and a $6.50-per-hour - 16.25 cents per mile - wage increases over the life of the five-year contract, according to an 8-K filing from ABF with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.
'The first year alone increases wages more than the entire five years combined in the last contract,' which hiked wages $2 per hour, the union said.
The contract also keeps in place a profit-sharing bonus that would increase in size as ABF's annual operating ratio decreases, rising to four per cent if the operating ratio falls to 87 per cent or below. ABF said it gave its union employees a three per cent contractual bonus based on its operating ratio in 2022.
The contract also limits the use of technology such as driver-facing in-cab cameras. Under the agreement, ABF would need the written consent of the Teamsters to deploy driverless trucks, and even then, the technology could not result in a reduction in union jobs.
'With this new agreement, we have reset the standard and charted a new course for the entire freight industry,' said Teamsters president Sean O'Brien. 'The gains made at the table are a testament to our strength and commitment to revamp and rebuild the freight division.'
SeaNews Turkey
The tentative contract includes a US$3.50-per-hour - 8.75 cents per mile - from July 1 and a $6.50-per-hour - 16.25 cents per mile - wage increases over the life of the five-year contract, according to an 8-K filing from ABF with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.
'The first year alone increases wages more than the entire five years combined in the last contract,' which hiked wages $2 per hour, the union said.
The contract also keeps in place a profit-sharing bonus that would increase in size as ABF's annual operating ratio decreases, rising to four per cent if the operating ratio falls to 87 per cent or below. ABF said it gave its union employees a three per cent contractual bonus based on its operating ratio in 2022.
The contract also limits the use of technology such as driver-facing in-cab cameras. Under the agreement, ABF would need the written consent of the Teamsters to deploy driverless trucks, and even then, the technology could not result in a reduction in union jobs.
'With this new agreement, we have reset the standard and charted a new course for the entire freight industry,' said Teamsters president Sean O'Brien. 'The gains made at the table are a testament to our strength and commitment to revamp and rebuild the freight division.'
SeaNews Turkey