(UPDATED 1 p.m. ET)
Teamsters workers at DHL Express in the United States, by an overwhelming majority, have authorized union leadership to call a strike if the express delivery giant doesn’t present an acceptable contract offer by the end of March.
The current national master agreement between the company and the union covers thousands of drivers and warehouse workers across 26 local unions in 16 states. The labor agreement is set to expire on March 31. Top union priorities include pay, strengthening working conditions and protecting benefits.
Members voted by a 96% margin to authorize a strike, the Teamsters announced on Tuesday.
The union has warned DHL Express (FSE: DHL) that the national contract and all supplemental bargaining for local work units must be completed before March 31 or workers will walk off the job. Officials say they won’t agree to any contract extensions. Previous social media posts from the union have made clear that all supplemental bargaining must be completed before any national agreement is finalized.
“DHL should be on notice that they need to start moving quickly to complete the supplements and present an acceptable contract offer,” said Bill Hamilton, director of the Teamsters Express Division, in a news release. “Our members will not work a day past the expiration of our current agreement. If DHL fails to deliver, Teamsters at the company are prepared to take action.”
DHL Express and Teamsters negotiators have been meeting in Washington since last month.
“DHL has a longstanding history of constructive dialogue with its collective bargaining unit in the U.S. and anticipates reaching agreement on a new national contract ahead of the current agreement’s expiration on March 31, 2026,” DHL said in a statement shared with FreightWaves.
In December 2023, more than 1,100 DHL Express workers at the company’s global air hub at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport went on strike for 11 days when contract talks stalled. Solidarity picket lines extended to other locations. The Cincinnati hub contract is separate from the DHL Express national master agreement.
DHL Express workers in Canada were on strike for nearly three weeks last year before agreeing on a new labor deal.
DHL Group, headquartered in Germany, will release fourth quarter earnings on Thursday.
Click here for more FreightWaves/American Shipper stories by Eric Kulisch.
Write to Eric Kulisch at ekulisch@freightwaves.com.
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