March 30, 2017
Workers’ Top-Tier Benefits Are Protected Under Five-Year Contract
(WASHINGTON) – Teamster carhaul members ratified a new national auto transporters contract and a regional agreement today which will maintain and protect health, welfare and pension benefits through May of 2021 and provide annual wage increases. The national contract was ratified by a margin of over 86 percent, and the Central Southern supplement was also ratified by 84 percent. Voting took place over the past three weeks and ballots were counted today.
The 5,000 workers covered by the agreements will also receive a back-pay settlement of $1,600 to cover the period that has elapsed since the expiration of the 2011-2015 agreement.
“The negotiations have been a long and difficult process but in the end we negotiated an agreement that met the two top goals of our membership: traditional wage increases and maintaining our members’ top-tier health and pension benefits,” said Kevin Moore, Director of the Teamsters Carhaul Division. “Our carhaul members are the best, most experienced workers in the industry and they deserve to be rewarded for their hard work.”
The national agreement provides for health, welfare and pension contributions to maintain benefits, an extraordinary achievement in today’s economic climate. It also provides for annual wage increases of 30, 30, 30, 35 and 45 cents, plus significant mileage-rate increases during each year of the five-year contract. In addition, all current “new business” rates will be increased by 6 percent and then by 3 percent each year going forward and now be subject to the COLA clause, which was not the case previously.
“We thank our carhaul membership for standing by the negotiating committee during these protracted negotiations,” Moore said. “In the end, we achieved a balanced settlement that protects historical benefits enjoyed by our skilled Teamsters but also will give the unionized side of auto and truck transporters a chance to grow in the future.”
The Eastern and Western supplements were ratified by members last year.
Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 1.4 million hardworking men and women throughout the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. Visit www.teamster.org for more information.