Latest news with #DHLExpress
Globe and Mail
2 hours ago
- Business
- Globe and Mail
DHL reaches tentative deal with striking workers
Unifor and DHL Express Canada DHL-NE have reached a tentative deal for a new collective agreement after months-long negotiations and a strike that lasted more than two weeks. Sivadas Santosh, lead negotiator for Unifor, said that union representatives and DHL spent most of Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning hashing out a deal, and managed to come to an agreement that the union was somewhat content with. 'We didn't get everything we wanted, but we got some big wage wins,' Mr. Santosh said. Unifor and DHL settled on a four-year agreement with a cumulative wage increase of 15.75 per cent. The agreement is retroactive to Jan. 1, 2025, and workers will also get a $500 lump-sum bonus. The union had wanted a 15-per-cent wage increase spread over a three-year agreement. DHL was offering a 15-per-cent pay bump spread over four years. Unifor's previous agreement with DHL, which was active between January, 2020, and January, 2025, included annual wage increases of 2.5 per cent. Approximately 2,100 DHL Express Canada workers across Ontario, British Columbia and Quebec – mainly truck drivers, couriers and warehouse workers – were locked out by DHL on June 8, after bargaining stalled over wages and the way in which drivers get paid for delivery routes. The union subsequently declared a strike and DHL temporarily shut down operations across the country. DHL Express Canada locks out 2,100 workers as Unifor launches strike in response Why Canada Post talks have stalled after months of negotiations with unionized workers On Tuesday, Unifor accused DHL of using replacement workers at its facility in Hamilton, which would violate a new federal law that prohibits the use of replacement workers during lockouts or strikes. Unifor filed a complaint with the Canada Industrial Relations Board. The other sticking point in negotiations was how delivery drivers get paid for a day's worth of work. Unifor said that its members sometimes had to drive up to 100 kilometres to reach a meetup point where they would pick up freight and then begin doing deliveries in an area. The drivers were not compensated for driving to that meetup point. Mr. Santosh said the new agreement addresses the issue by ensuring the union has a say in the distance each driver must travel to reach a meetup point. 'This way DHL cannot arbitrarily change the route and add distance to it,' he said. Drivers at DHL get paid between $19 and $30 an hour, depending on how many years they have worked at the company. Hourly wages for clerical staff range between $17 and $27. In a statement, DHL said it expected to resume operations after the deal was ratified. The union has recommended that its members vote in favour of the deal and return to work. Some of DHL's largest customers include Shein, Temu and Lululemon. The company is one of five major parcel delivery operators in Canada, alongside FedEx Corp., Canada Post, United Parcel Service Inc. and TFI International Inc. According to Unifor, DHL workers make up roughly 15 per cent of all courier workers in the country.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
DHL Express Canada reinstates service after workers ratify labor deal
DHL Express has restored all services in Canada and will resume full operations Monday after union workers represented by Unifor ratified a new four-year contract, the company announced Saturday. Approval of the collective bargaining agreement ends a strike/lockout that lasted nearly three weeks and forced the company to halt parcel deliveries on June 20. Unifor said the agreement, which covers more than 2,100 truck and van drivers, warehouse pickers and clerical workers, was ratified by 72% of the membership. Negotiators for both parties reached a tentative contract agreement on Wednesday. 'DHL Express Canada has worked diligently and in good faith with Unifor's bargaining committee to reach a fair deal and ensure a prompt return to service. . . We are excited to resume our operations and welcome back all our team members. Together, we'll prioritize delivering the highest quality service to our customers,' DHL Express Canada said in a statement. The new contract features a 15.75% increase in wages throughout the life of the contract, a new payment structure for independent drivers, pension increases for hourly workers and a new pension for owner-operators, according to Unifor. The labor agreement also increases short-and-long term disability payments, provides a new mental health benefit, increases severance and wage adjustments, and provides greater worker protection from artificial intelligence and automation. The union credited a new federal ban on use of replacement workers with helping to resolve the negotiating standoff. DHL Express initially hired replacement workers to maintain operations, but suspended deliveries when the legislation took effect June 20. Companies that violate the law could be subject to a $74,000 penalty per day. During bargaining, DHL had proposed a 15% wage increase over five years while Unifor sought a 22% increase for hourly workers. 'This is a historic dispute in our union's books because we were the test case for the new anti-scab legislation and our union and members stood tall, held strong, and the end result is we got a fair collective agreement,' Unifor National President Lana Payne said in a news release. Unifor said its workers will return to work, but added there is no definite timeline to do so. It likely will take several days for DHL Express Canada to work through the backlog of packages stuck in its facilities. DHL Express Canada had preempted an expected strike by locking out workers on June 8. Unifor followed hours later by initiating a strike action. Click here for more FreightWaves/American Shipper stories by Eric Kulisch. DHL Express Canada, striking workers tentatively agree on labor deal DHL Express prepares to open $140M cargo facility at Lyons airport The post DHL Express Canada reinstates service after workers ratify labor deal appeared first on FreightWaves.
CTV News
6 hours ago
- Business
- CTV News
DHL Express Canada workers ratify new agreement, move to end strike and lockout
DHL containers are transported on the tarmac at John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport in Hamilton, Ont., Wednesday, March 26, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nick Iwanyshyn TORONTO — Canada's largest private sector union says a three-week lockout and strike at DHL Express Canada is due to end because workers ratified a new agreement. Unifor says the four-year agreement reached with the delivery company was ratified with 72 per cent support from members. It includes a 15.75 per cent wage hike, pension increases for hourly workers and a new pension for owner-operators. The agreement also features increases to short- and long-term disability payments, new mental-health benefits, a rise in severance and updated language around artificial intelligence, robotics and work-from-home policies. The agreement impacts more than 2,100 DHL Express Canada employees who work as truck drivers, couriers and in warehouse and clerical roles. They were locked out after midnight on June 8 and went on strike hours later. Unifor now says DHL workers will return to work after the ratification but offered no definite timeline. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 28, 2025. The Canadian Press
CBC
7 hours ago
- Business
- CBC
DHL Express Canada strike, lockout to end after workers ratify new agreement, union says
Canada's largest private sector union says a three-week lockout and strike at DHL Express Canada is due to end because workers ratified a new agreement. Unifor said Saturday that the four-year agreement reached with the delivery company was ratified with 72 per cent support from members. It includes a 15.75 per cent wage hike, pension increases for hourly workers and a new pension for owner-operators. The agreement also features increases to short- and long-term disability payments, new mental-health benefits, a rise in severance and updated language around artificial intelligence, robotics and work-from-home policies. The agreement affects more than 2,100 DHL Express Canada employees who work as truck drivers, couriers and in warehouse and clerical roles. They were locked out after midnight on June 8 and went on strike hours later.
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
DHL Express Canada workers ratify new agreement, move to end strike and lockout
TORONTO — Canada's largest private sector union says a three-week lockout and strike at DHL Express Canada is due to end because workers ratified a new agreement. Unifor says the four-year agreement reached with the delivery company was ratified with 72 per cent support from members. It includes a 15.75 per cent wage hike, pension increases for hourly workers and a new pension for owner-operators. The agreement also features increases to short- and long-term disability payments, new mental-health benefits, a rise in severance and updated language around artificial intelligence, robotics and work-from-home policies. The agreement impacts more than 2,100 DHL Express Canada employees who work as truck drivers, couriers and in warehouse and clerical roles. They were locked out after midnight on June 8 and went on strike hours later. Unifor now says DHL workers will return to work after the ratification but offered no definite timeline. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 28, 2025. The Canadian Press
