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ABF | ABF announces contract negotiations

"We look forward to working with the Teamsters' leadership to reach a new collective bargaining agreement that appropriately reflects the competitive environment in which we operate," said ABF Freight President Tim Thorne.
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I don't see it as a good thing when the employer looks forward to negotiating a contract, they should dread the notion and loose sleep over it. Ready or not boys, here it comes. :2437:
 
6PakAbs said:
PAY the RATE or LOCK the GATE
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Careful on that thought. I don't think they want to operate in LTL any longer. Can't they lock the gate for 1 year and 1 day and reopen non union? They have enough revenue from other businesses that LTL is just a burden based on their balance sheet.
 
RUNVS2 said:
Careful on that thought. I don't think they want to operate in LTL any longer. Can't they lock the gate for 1 year and 1 day and reopen non union? They have enough revenue from other businesses that LTL is just a burden based on their balance sheet.
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Personally, I don’t see them leaving the LTL business anytime soon. This contract will be rough...a literal tug of war, if you will. They would basically have to give up everything, including U-Pack. Competition is increasing in the cube sector too. PODS has always been out there, and I even noticed that U-Haul has ‘cubes’ and a flatbed trailer now. The Conway regional carriers were already in place when CF shut the doors 15 years ago. To my knowledge, ABF has nothing of the sort.
 
I believe that if ABF left the LTL business for a year it would not be so easy to get back in. It's hard enough to hold onto the freight that a company has and to start from scratch would be one hell of an uphill battle.
 
RUNVS2 said:
Careful on that thought. I don't think they want to operate in LTL any longer. Can't they lock the gate for 1 year and 1 day and reopen non union? They have enough revenue from other businesses that LTL is just a burden based on their balance sheet.
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I think it is actually 3 years, R, if they would remain under ABF in name. Starting up a non from scratch under a different name, rebranding equipment, properties, and labor, would be very difficult.
 
ABF, Teamsters disclose schedules for talks on collective bargaining pact

Some ABF Teamsters believe that ArcBest, in an effort to reduce costs by taking business away from its unionized unit, routes freight from ABF to its logistics units, in particular Panther Expedited Trucking, an asset-light expedited service provider that ArcBest's forerunner company, Arkansas Best Corp., acquired in 2012 for $180 million. In a post from March on a website called "Old School Teamsters," a poster believed to be a veteran ABF driver alleged that the parent provides Panther with shipments so it can reduce Panther's empty miles, while at the same time taking business away from ABF and forcing the unit to pay premium prices for expedited deliveries.

http://www.dcvelocity.com/articles/...ules-for-talks-on-collective-bargaining-pact/

:wtflol:
 
I am far from pro management. But if you look at the number of guys retiring from here over the next 5 years. It out ways the number of new experienced guys coming. This is a problem not for us, but all companies. The wave will be to buy companies for Qualified experienced drivers.
 
They can start negotiations by stop contributing my money to a worthless pension, that's gonna be insolvent, and give me different retirement options.
 
ABF announced recently they are discontinuing pension payments on new hired non union employees. The company cited the burden of payments to union pension plans while other companies are paying only a 25% rate. The article mentioned that ABF is paying into pension funds for Teamsters that never worked for ABF
The pension fund obligation is like an albatross around the company's neck. If the company could pay only into it's employees fund the payments would be much less.
ABF doesn't have a network of non union companies like the Conways that CF had. I do think the company will insist on some pension relief before they sign off on a contract. The current rate they are paying into the various pension funds is not sustainable & it doesn't get any better under the current conditions. Even with YRC paying a discount pension rate the company's failure to continue payments would shift more responsibility to ABF.
I don't think ABF is planning to leave the LTL market but it can't continue to be the cash cow for pension funds & won't sign off on something that will assuredly put it out of business later. A strike would put the company out of business but so would a contract that takes away profitability.
 
RUNVS2 said:
Careful on that thought. I don't think they want to operate in LTL any longer. Can't they lock the gate for 1 year and 1 day and reopen non union? They have enough revenue from other businesses that LTL is just a burden based on their balance sheet.
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If your not willing to fight for a good contract why are you here? You want to work for non union wages and benefits there are plenty on non-union companies to chose from that tell you what your going to make. PAY THE RATE OR LOCK THE GATE!
 
SAC75 said:
If your not willing to fight for a good contract why are you here? You want to work for non union wages and benefits there are plenty on non-union companies to chose from that tell you what your going to make. PAY THE RATE OR LOCK THE GATE![/QUOTE. What's the going rate for a driver anyway ?
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SAC75 said:
If your not willing to fight for a good contract why are you here? You want to work for non union wages and benefits there are plenty on non-union companies to chose from that tell you what your going to make. PAY THE RATE OR LOCK THE GATE!
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What's the going rate anyway?
 
I still have a much better pension with Central States than those working for non union carriers. What is the pension plan for non union carrier employees? Maybe some of the non union retirees or soon to be retired can enlighten us about their retirement benefits.
 
DCM_Doc said:
I still have a much better pension with Central States than those working for non union carriers. What is the pension plan for non union carrier employees? Maybe some of the non union retirees or soon to be retired can enlighten us about their retirement benefits.
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You get what you gave to 401(k) and IRAs, with very little from the company.
 
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