After three days of voting, Teamsters Local 100 has scored a victory: 1,100 logistics/"ramp and tug" workers for DHL have unionized. The workers are employed at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) as a part of DHL's CVG Global Hub–CVG is their major logistics hub in the United States, and one of three global hubs they operate. They join approximately 6,000 other DHL workers in the United States as members of the Teamsters.
A DHL union has apparently been agitated for in various capacities for almost two decades, but it was Local 100 that finally got this one done–they won the vote by a convincing 505-288. It's easy to see why. Workers at the CVG Global Hub have complained of stressful and wildly unsafe conditions, constant injuries on the job, frequent understaffing, and contempt from management.
Interviewed by WVXU, employee Michelle Sanchez describes one instance where she dislocated her shoulder because of understaffing: "[DHL] never did send help, so it was just me and another girl up there pushing thousand-pound cans and I felt a pop." She alleges DHL only gave her a Tylenol. An FOIA by the Teamsters, the article goes on to note, found 22 injuries at CVG Global Hub requiring hospitalization last year. Another worker interviewed by the Guardian stated “[...]one day I overheard a conversation between two managers that they needed to take back the hub, that they referred to as a prison, and that they are the ‘wardens’ taking back the prison from the ‘inmates’”. He resigned from the company following this. DHL refused to comment in specific on the alleged exchange.
DHL attempted quite a few union busting tactics during the campaign, and the campaign was generally very acrimonious–17 unfair labor practices were filed in the year leading up to the vote. Steven Fightmaster, a DHL employee also interviewed in that Guardian piece, alleges fairly direct attempts to union bust: “I’ve been followed off the property by DHL corporate security. I was followed to my home on one occasion, I was followed to a union meeting on another and it’s just the constant harassment and intimidation tactics used by both DHL corporate security and their security contractor,” he is quoted as saying. He alleged similar harassment tactics against other employees. The margin of victory for the union against these tactics speaks for itself, however.
Contract negotiations will begin following certification of the election.