CVG Teamsters Approve Higher Wages, Better Benefits, Improved Safety

(WASHINGTON) – Following a 12-day unfair labor practice strike that saw picket lines extended nationwide, 1,100 DHL ramp and tug workers of Teamsters Local 100 at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) have ratified their first contract with the logistics giant by a 98 percent margin.

The new contract increases hourly wages by $2 per hour immediately, provides a total $5 per hour wage increase over the next three years, doubles the company’s 401(k) retirement contribution, establishes a worker safety committee at CVG, and requires DHL to pay for the costs of health care premiums.

“Corrupt management at DHL tried every dirty trick in the book to prevent working people from organizing and negotiating a first agreement. But the executives didn’t win — workers did, and now they’ve got a powerful Teamsters contract to prove it,” said Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien. “Greedy corporations like DHL need to understand that any attempt to get the Teamsters to accept lackluster benefits and weak wages is a losing strategy. Throughout this fight, Teamsters at DHL-CVG stood strong and remained determined to secure an outstanding contract they can call their own.”

Since DHL workers began organizing at CVG, the Teamsters have filed dozens of unfair labor practices against the company with the National Labor Relations Board. Charges included retaliation against pro-union workers, surveilling workers discussing the union off-site, and intimidating workers on the picket lines.

“This collective bargaining agreement shows once again that when Teamsters fight, Teamsters win,” said Teamsters General Secretary-Treasurer Fred Zuckerman. “The new contract at CVG and the resolve of Teamsters across the country exemplify the power of collective action. Despite the company’s aggressive union busting, Local 100 and DHL Teamsters nationwide took a stand, stayed united, and didn’t back down.”

DHL Teamsters represented by Local 100 load and unload airplanes at the company’s largest and busiest logistics hub in North America.

“Aside from the strong economic benefits, the new safety language in the contract will make our working environment much safer,” said Tyler Sandy, a DHL domestic crew lead at CVG and member of Local 100. “Our contract language gives us the ability to refuse broken equipment, avoid dangerous inclement weather, and enable more consistent breaks, and it will help make us feel like people and less like cogs in a machine.” 

Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 1.3 million hardworking people in the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico. Visit Teamster.org for more information. Follow us on Twitter @Teamsters and “like” us on Facebook at Facebook.com/teamsters.

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