Miami DHL gateway Teamsters approve first contract

Teamsters at the Miami International Airport (MIA) DHL gateway facility overwhelmingly approved a four-year contract yesterday, gaining wage increases, a pension plan and job security language.

By ratifying the contract, the 130 workers at MIA became the third DHL gateway location to be protected by a Teamster agreement this year. Miami gateway workers are joining 300 DHL Teamsters at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York and 150 gateway workers at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).

“We are ecstatic that we have completed these negotiations after 17 months,” said Alex Saumell, an 18-year worker at the DHL Miami Gateway facility. “All the credit goes to Mike Scott, Don Marr and all the workers here at the gateway who stood strong through this entire process.”

The agreement secures excellent wage increases, lowers the cost of health insurance for the workers, includes job security language and guarantees a minimum of 40-hours per week for fulltime employees. The contract also includes strong language that provides the members with an outstanding grievance procedure and seniority requirements.

“These workers were so excited about becoming Teamsters,” Michael Scott, President, Teamsters Local 769 in Miami, Florida. “This is an exceptional first contract that will provide improvements across the board for these workers.”