WASHINGTON, D.C. - TMI and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters today agreed to conduct a series of joint studies regarding operations in the Less Than Truckload (LTL) industry in preparation for the next round of National Master Freight Agreement (NMFA) negotiations. The studies will be conducted by the Joint Industry Development Committee, which was established under Article 20, Section 2, of the existing NMFA "to return the LTL industry to health and to foster its growth."

The studies will be used to help labor and management representatives make joint recommendations to negotiators of the next NMFA. The TMI and IBT staff will begin to develop data to evaluate productivity among NMFA and non-union carriers; to analyze the cost of operations; and, in that regard, to evaluate work rules, practices and procedures applicable under the contract. TMI and the IBT agree that the findings and recommendations in the studies are intended to enhance the job security of Teamsters working under the NMFA by ensuring that the TMI carriers are competitive in a rapidly changing LTL market.

The efforts of the Joint Industry Development Committee are a prelude to the next round of the NMFA negotiations. They are not part of the negotiations. The current collective bargaining agreement expires on March 31, 1998.

The announcement of the joint studies follows a meeting held today between the principal officers of TMI-member companies and IBT President, Ron Carey, and the union staff members responsible for the NMFA.

TMI, headquartered in Washington, D.C., is the primary multi-employer bargaining arm of the unionized general freight trucking industry. It negotiates and administers the National Master Freight Agreement on behalf of its carrier members. LTL freight comprises the vast majority of freight hauled by TMI's member companies, among which are some of the largest in the LTL general freight industry. TMI-member companies employ about 75% of the Teamsters covered by the NMFA.