Teamsters Eye DHL
With the UPS tentative parcel workers agreement in hand, the Teamsters union is moving onto new ground in the package field.
The union’s national negotiating committee met this month with representatives from DHL to start the “historic task of negotiating a new DHL National Master Agreement,” the Teamsters leadership told its membership last week.
General President Jim Hoffa appointed the national committee, which includes representatives of Teamsters locals from around the country who represent members in every aspect of the DHL Express business. DHL had been covered under the trucking industry National Master Freight Agreement but now is working toward a separate contract.
“While we cannot yet reveal information about specific proposals and discussions, your committee is encouraged by the tone of these talks and DHL’s willingness to negotiate within the framework provided by Articles 1-39 of the National Master Freight Agreement (NMFA),” the Teamsters leaders’ message said.
The union plans to use current contract provisions to “quickly move through the process of negotiating the ‘common clauses’ and begin work on the operational supplements pick-up and delivery, clerical, gateway and hub, as well as allowing each local’s representatives to begin bargaining local riders.”
The new agreement would cover all local unions covered under the NMFA and several locals that previously negotiated stand-alone ‘white paper agreements,’ the message said.
The national bargaining committee is scheduled to negotiate with DHL through the end of October.
