DHL Express on strike notice as Teamsters set March 31 deadline

Teamsters representing DHL Express workers in the United States approved a strike authorization by a 96% margin, clearing union leaders to call a walkout if contract talks do not produce an acceptable offer by March 31. The current national master agreement ends that day.

The contract covers thousands of drivers and warehouse workers across 26 local unions in 16 states. Union priorities in bargaining include pay, stronger working conditions, and protection of benefits. The union will not accept contract extensions and requires all supplemental agreements for local units to be completed before any national deal is finalized.

“DHL should be on notice that they need to start moving quickly to complete the supplements and present an acceptable contract offer. 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”, Bill Hamilton, who leads the Teamsters Express Division, wrote in a statement.

Bargaining teams for DHL Express and the Teamsters have been meeting in Washington since last month. The union expects both the national agreement and all supplements to be concluded by March 31 to avoid a work stoppage.

The vote follows recent labor actions involving DHL Express. In December 2023, more than 1,100 workers at the company’s global air hub at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport went on strike for 11 days after local talks stalled, with solidarity pickets appearing at other sites. The Cincinnati hub contract is separate from the national master agreement. In Canada, DHL Express workers were on strike for nearly three weeks last year before ratifying a new labor deal.

DHL Group, based in Germany, is scheduled to report fourth-quarter earnings on Thursday.