The DHL Express delivery and warehouse workers, represented by the Teamsters in 16 states, have ratified a new four-year contract by a 92% margin, according to the union announcement on Tuesday.
Negotiators for DHL reached a tentative collective bargaining agreement on March 29 under threat of a strike, bringing an end to the labor dispute.
The previous contract expired on March 31, and the new national master agreement includes a range of significant benefits for workers, including a 20% wage increase.
This substantial wage boost is expected to have a positive impact on the livelihoods of DHL Express workers, who have been advocating for better pay and working conditions for some time.
The new contract also establishes strong safeguards against AI-controlled routing systems that the union says undermine seniority and explicitly prohibits the use of autonomous vehicles that threaten jobs.
This move is seen as a significant victory for the Teamsters, which has been actively pushing for greater protections for workers in the face of technological advancements.
The inclusion of these provisions in the new contract demonstrates the union's commitment to ensuring that workers are not unfairly disadvantaged by the increasing use of technology in the industry.
As freight fraud continues to pose an existential threat to the industry, this contract provides a much-needed boost of confidence for workers and employers alike.
The Teamsters General President Sean O'Brien stated that the union's members were prepared to take action and hold management accountable if they failed to deliver on their obligations, which ultimately led to the successful negotiation of the new contract.
