WASHINGTON, D.C. - Calling the first round of preliminary discussions with the Teamsters Union productive, TMI announced today the start of a second round of discussions on November 18 in preparation for the National Master Freight Agreement (NMFA) contract negotiations.

TMI is a division of the Motor Freight Carriers Association (MFCA) and represents authorized companies in the NMFA negotiations with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT).

The first round of preliminary discussions between leaders of IBT and TMI were held over the past two weeks. Conducted under the auspices of the Joint Industry Development Committee, these discussions are designed to give both labor and management a clear understanding of the major issues facing workers and employers of the Less Than Truckload (LTL) industry.

The Committee will also make recommendations to assist union and management representatives who will lead the formal NMFA talks set to begin sometime later this year. The current collective bargaining agreement expires March 31, 1998.

"The discussions to date have been very productive," said Art Bunte, head of TMI. "Both management and labor are following the process that was put in place during the last NMFA."

"We intend to reach a contract agreement without a disruption in services," Bunte added. "These preliminary meetings will help us achieve our goal."

Headquartered in Washington, D.C., MFCA is the national trade association representing unionized carriers on public policy and economic issues affecting the industry. Its TMI Division represents six authorized companies in the NMFA negotiations with IBT. Employing some 75 percent of the Teamsters covered by the NMFA, these carriers serve 1.4 million customers in all 50 states and transport 261 million tons of freight over 2 billion miles each year.

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