Teamsters meet with German union ver.di to build working relationship

Teamsters and German union ver.di leaders will hold an historic meeting on Monday in Cologne, Germany, in the wake of the recent merger of Deutsche Post-owned DHL and Airborne to discuss common issues.

Teamsters General President James P. Hoffa said the meeting will strengthen the relationship between ver.di, which represents DHL workers in Germany, and the Teamsters, who represent more than 10,000 workers at DHL Express in the U.S.

“This meeting brings together two of the world’s most powerful transportation unions to discuss ways we can work together to best represent our members at DHL and raise standards throughout the whole parcel, small package industry,” Hoffa said.

In April, a Change of Operations Committee, consisting of Teamsters and management representatives, issued its decision regarding the merger of Brussels, Belgium-based DHL and Airborne. That decision protected the positions of Airborne Teamsters and gave the Teamsters jurisdiction over all work previously performed by DHL non-union employees. The workforce has been integrated since April 19, 2004.

Deutsche Post is investing heavily in the United States to make DHL Express a competitor of FedEx and UPS in the United States.

Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents more than 1.4 million hardworking men and women throughout the United States and Canada.