UPS Freight employees in the Teamsters union approved a five-year agreement that gives workers a total $2.50 per hour wage boost that the union said makes them the best-paid drivers in the less-than-truckload industry.

The tentative contract that covers 13,000 workers was announced on Jan. 6, offering higher wages, improved pension benefits, new health care options and offers a new structure for subcontracting. The union announced the approval Jan. 12.

The tentative agreement was announced seven months after an earlier contract was rejected by nearly 70% of those voting. The Freight vote in June was at the same time as the UPS Package contract, which was approved on a national level but cannot take effect until five remaining local agreements are ratified.