AUTO HAULERS BEGIN LABOR TALKS

AUTO HAULERS BEGIN LABOR TALKS    The International Brotherhood of Teamsters and the management team representing 14 U.S. auto haulers began negotiations Monday in Detroit on a new master contract covering 6,500 truck drivers responsible for moving automobiles from manufacturing plants and rail heads to dealerships.
      The union and the National Automobile Transporters Association are expected to exchange proposals for a new, multiyear labor contract during the next two weeks. The four-year contract in place expires May 31, Teamsters spokesman Rob Black said.
   Allied Automotive Group, the largest auto transporter, no longer belongs to the NATA and is trying to negotiate a separate agreement, according to the Teamsters Web site. Allied executives did not return phone calls seeking comment on their negotiation strategy.
   In February, Teamsters negotiators and the major unionized less-than-truckload motor carriers reached agreement on a five-year national master freight agreement, pending rank-and-file ratification.