YRC reaches LTL labor deal

YRC reaches LTL labor deal YRC Worldwide on Thursday reached a tentative agreement with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters on a new five-year labor contract for dockworkers and truck drivers, according to the company and the union.
   The agreement, which must be ratified by the Teamsters rank-and-file members, covers less-than-truckload subsidiaries Yellow Transportation, Roadway, USF and New Penn.
   The existing National Master Freight Agreement that governs union labor at several trucking firms, represented by Trucking Management Inc., expires at the end of March.
   The deal provides unspecified wage increases as well as other benefit protections for workers, and it gives the trucking companies some work rule flexibility to better compete against non-unionized carriers and expand into new business areas.
   “The early outcome of these negotiations is positive for our employees and positive for our customers,” said Mike Smid, chief executive officer of YRC North American Transportation. “With the major hurdle of the NMFA behind us, we are now positioned to remain competitive in a very challenging industry environment.”
   Leaders from local freight unions will meet Jan. 8 to vote on the agreement and send it off to the membership for final approval.
   The Teamsters last month finalized a new five-year labor agreement with UPS that covers the delivery company’s 240,000 package drivers and handlers.