Freightmaster1
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http://seekingalpha.com/article/399...-results-earnings-call-transcript?part=single
Todd Fowler
And then just for a quick follow up, Judy, I know that you’re always in conversations with the unions, can you just help us think about the timing of the contract negotiation as we move into 2017 and maybe how we think about some of that communication externally and what we should be thinking about over the next several quarters along that line?
Judy McReynolds
Well, you’re right to anticipate that. I mean, there is a planning process that goes along with that that it’s something that comes up every five years. We have a team that’s very experienced in that area. Typically, what you would see is those activities ramping up some time in the late fall or late in the year of 2017, but we’re really not speaking to something being scheduled because nothing is at this point. But that’s kind of the norm there.
And I don’t know if you remember this, but in the last contract, we went through that process very smoothly without really any kind of disruption in our operation or anything that was troubling or concerning. And so that’s certainly what we would expect to see this next go around.
Todd Fowler
I was just looking for that, so a year from now really is when we should start maybe thinking about some of the communication, nothing significant anytime sooner.
Judy McReynolds
Right.
John Barnes
So two things: one, I wanted to follow up on the teamster contract negotiations and I know it’s a ways off, but given that both you and YRC kind of went your separate ways in terms of how you negotiated additional agreements with the teamsters outside of the National Master Freight Agreement, is this a scenario where maybe you finally go your own way in terms of just negotiating separately with the teamsters or do you think this will be done on a joint basis industry-wide again because it seems to me like there is just different needs for both of you, right.
Judy McReynolds
I agree. I mean, I think that’s true, but also there’s something maybe more fundamental in that we have our own agreement and our agreement runs through the end of March of 2018. I believe there’s after-hours and so it is a separate process for us.
John Barnes
So you’re not talking about a National Master Freight Agreement any longer? This will be a separate, so you’ll be negotiating with them directly.
Judy McReynolds
I want to be sure that we say this right, but it is called the National Master Freight Agreement, but there is a separate agreement for ABF and a separate agreement that YRC operates under. And there may be agreements, I’m not clear on that, but we’re definitely separate from them in the way that the process works and the negotiations would work.
John Barnes
And occasionally you’ve kind of gotten behind UPS and that’s always kind of maybe [drugged out] the process of finally getting around to LTL, any concern on that?
Judy McReynolds
None that would have revealed itself at this point.
Todd Fowler
And then just for a quick follow up, Judy, I know that you’re always in conversations with the unions, can you just help us think about the timing of the contract negotiation as we move into 2017 and maybe how we think about some of that communication externally and what we should be thinking about over the next several quarters along that line?
Judy McReynolds
Well, you’re right to anticipate that. I mean, there is a planning process that goes along with that that it’s something that comes up every five years. We have a team that’s very experienced in that area. Typically, what you would see is those activities ramping up some time in the late fall or late in the year of 2017, but we’re really not speaking to something being scheduled because nothing is at this point. But that’s kind of the norm there.
And I don’t know if you remember this, but in the last contract, we went through that process very smoothly without really any kind of disruption in our operation or anything that was troubling or concerning. And so that’s certainly what we would expect to see this next go around.
Todd Fowler
I was just looking for that, so a year from now really is when we should start maybe thinking about some of the communication, nothing significant anytime sooner.
Judy McReynolds
Right.
John Barnes
So two things: one, I wanted to follow up on the teamster contract negotiations and I know it’s a ways off, but given that both you and YRC kind of went your separate ways in terms of how you negotiated additional agreements with the teamsters outside of the National Master Freight Agreement, is this a scenario where maybe you finally go your own way in terms of just negotiating separately with the teamsters or do you think this will be done on a joint basis industry-wide again because it seems to me like there is just different needs for both of you, right.
Judy McReynolds
I agree. I mean, I think that’s true, but also there’s something maybe more fundamental in that we have our own agreement and our agreement runs through the end of March of 2018. I believe there’s after-hours and so it is a separate process for us.
John Barnes
So you’re not talking about a National Master Freight Agreement any longer? This will be a separate, so you’ll be negotiating with them directly.
Judy McReynolds
I want to be sure that we say this right, but it is called the National Master Freight Agreement, but there is a separate agreement for ABF and a separate agreement that YRC operates under. And there may be agreements, I’m not clear on that, but we’re definitely separate from them in the way that the process works and the negotiations would work.
John Barnes
And occasionally you’ve kind of gotten behind UPS and that’s always kind of maybe [drugged out] the process of finally getting around to LTL, any concern on that?
Judy McReynolds
None that would have revealed itself at this point.