LAX DHL Gateway Teamsters Approve First Contract

LAX DHL Gateway Teamsters Approve First Contract

150 Workers Secure Strong Three-Year Contract

October 25, 2005

(Washington, D.C.) – Teamsters at the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) DHL gateway facility overwhelmingly approved a three-year contract last week, gaining wage increases, a pension plan and job security language.

By ratifying the contract, the 150 workers at LAX became the second DHL gateway location to be protected by a Teamster agreement. Three hundred DHL gateway workers at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, New York have been represented by the Teamsters since February 2005.

“This is a powerful example of cooperation between the Organizing Department at the international headquarters, very active rank-and-file workers, and the staff from the local who were part of the negotiations,” said John Harren, Secretary-Treasurer of Local 986 in Los Angeles, California.

The agreement secures excellent wage increases and enrolls the workers in the Western Conference Pension Plan. The contract also includes strong language that provides the members with overtime provisions, a grievance procedure and seniority requirements.

“This is an important piece of the puzzle for the DHL campaign,” Harren said. “This victory will strengthen our ongoing role in the air freight industry out here.”

Founded in 1903, the Teamsters Union represents more than 1.4 million hardworking men and women in the United States and Canada.