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Teamsters near a deal
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June 2, 1999: 12:29 a.m. ET
Union postpones strike vote for another night in dispute with car haulers
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NEW YORK (CNNfn) - The Teamsters Union, saying it was close to a settlement, announced early Wednesday that it had postponed a strike vote for another 24-hours in its dispute with car-hauling firms.
This marks the second day in a row in which a vote to strike, which could delay deliveries of new cars to dealers and customers, has been delayed.
"We're not going to strike tonight," Teamsters spokesman Chip Roth said. "We are continuing to make progress ... we're very close to a settlement." The union set a new deadline of midnight on Wednesday.
The Teamsters and the National Automobile Transporters Association, which represents 17 car-hauling companies, had reopened negotiations in Arlington, Va., Monday morning after weekend talks produced little progress. The union had threatened to strike at 12:01 a.m. ET Tuesday. But negotiations continued, and the union postponed its vote until 12:01 ET Wednesday.
The Teamsters, representing about 12,800 truckers, also object to industry proposals to offer lower pay to entry-level workers, hire part-time employees, and use Mexican truckers for delivery in the United States under terms of the North American Free Trade Agreement, he said.
The two sides began contract negotiations in February. If a strike goes forward, the Teamsters could target one or all of the companies that move new cars to dealers from assembly plants, ports and rail yards. The largest car hauler is Georgia-based Allied Holdings. Of the 16 million cars expected to be shipped this year, Teamsters drivers will deliver about 95 percent.
Automakers are on pace for record U.S. sales this year. Industry analysts say that unless a strike lasts more than a few weeks, dealers likely have a large enough supply on hand to provide consumers with a good selection.
The automakers have said they have contingency plans to keep their cars moving from plants to dealers. 
-- staff and wire reports
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