Teamsters Break Off Talks on Truckers’ Strike

Talks aimed at scaling back a nationwide trucking strike broke down Saturday and the Teamsters Union accused major trucking companies of muzzling smaller ones that had sought interim pacts with the union.

Representatives of 18 small trucking firms had come to the union’s headquarters in Washington after Trucking Management Inc., the umbrella group that represents the industry in contract talks, released them to seek interim agreements that would have ended the strike against them.

But after a brief meeting, the Teamsters broke off the talks and issued a statement accusing TMI of placing a “gag order” on the companies that barred them from discussing their views about TMI’s bargaining positions.

TMI President Arthur Bunte accused the union of trying to “deceive the public and their members.”