While DHL representatives told CityBeat the company remains committed to reaching a deal with the union, they're still preparing for a strike. Photo: DHL Media Release

More than a thousand Northern Kentucky DHL employees could walk off the job in the midst of the massive holiday delivery season.

Union workers at DHL’s air hub facility in Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) have voted to authorize a strike if DHL won’t agree to a union contract, the Teamsters announced on Dec. 3.

“Our members are fed up with the company’s stall tactics. The members have voted and are prepared to walk. DHL will not get away with denying working people good wages and safe conditions on the job,” said Bill Davis, president of Local 100.

DHL-CVG is the company’s largest logistics hub in North America. Employees voted to join the Teamsters union in April, representing the air hub’s 1,100 ramp and tug workers. Organizing leaders told CityBeat that ramp associates are paid as low as $20 per hour to have life-threatening jobs at the delivery airport. Workers load and unload nearly 400,000 pounds of cargo per day using equipment they described as dangerous and outdated. In 2022, there were at least 22 workplace injuries at DHL-CVG that required transport to a hospital or emergency room, according to Kenton County Airport Board records.

Related

Bill Hamilton, Director of the Teamsters express division, said DHL is not serious about reaching a fair contract for employees.

“Our hardworking members know the value of their labor and they are ready to withhold it if DHL doesn’t get serious about remedying its bad behavior and bargaining a fair contract,” said Hamilton. “This company needs to stop wasting time and come to an agreement that respects these skilled and dedicated Teamsters. If not, DHL will be leaving workers with no choice but to strike.”

Pamela Duque Rai, a spokesperson for DHL, told CityBeat the company is disappointed in the strike authorization.

“While it is unfortunate the US Teamsters have decided to increase the external rhetoric and communicate inaccuracies around the status of these CVG Hub negotiations, we have consistently sought to bargain in good faith and to find constructive solutions at the negotiating table,” said Duque Rai. “Their latest decision was anticipated and a situation for which we are fully prepared.”

When could we see a strike?

Teamsters spokesperson Kara Deniz told CityBeat there is no set date for a strike, but said DHL told the Teamsters that Dec. 7 is the last bargaining date the company will show up to this year.

“The strike authorization vote gives the Teamsters committee the ability to call a strike if DHL fails to remedy its illegal behavior and come to terms on a fair contract,” Deniz said. “If there is a strike, it will be because DHL has failed to do so.”

Related

While DHL representatives told CityBeat the company remains committed to reaching a deal with the union, they’re still preparing for a strike.

“Given the Teamster rhetoric and threats of work stoppages to disrupt and influence these negotiations, DHL Express has activated an initial phase of contingency plans,” Duque Rai said. “These include activating supplemental staff at CVG and temporarily moving flights and volume away from CVG to other key strategic DHL locations throughout the Americas Region.”

Duque Rai said customers shouldn’t see any package delivery delays if DHL-CVG workers choose to strike.

“We are confident these prudent and proactive measures will ensure we maintain our high level of delivery standards and performance for our customers in their most critical peak period of the year,” she said. “We expect no disruption to services.”

Follow CityBeat’s staff news writer Madeline Fening on Instagram.

Subscribe to CityBeat newsletters.

Follow us: Apple News | Google News | NewsBreak | Reddit | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Or sign up for our RSS Feed

Related Stories

This article appears in Nov 29 – Dec 12, 2023.