DHL Teamster and TDU member Holly Wicker from Louisville Local 89 addressed the Teamsters Convention about bargaining to organize -- a winning strategy the Teamsters are using to fight back and win. 

When 1,000 DHL ramp and tug workers voted to join the Teamsters, DHL fought them every step of the way and forced them to strike for a first contract. 

The International Union extended picket lines across the country and paralyzed DHL operations. That strike not only won a first contract for over 1,000 DHL Teamsters at CVG airport. It also won a neutrality agreement that gave 2,000 more DHL workers who work inside the air hub at CVG the right to become Teamsters through a process called card-check. 

With card check, the company agrees to recognize the union if a majority of workers sign union authorization cards. This avoids the delays of a NLRB election that employers can take advantage of to try to defeat organizing drives. 

“That strike opened our eyes,” Wicker said. “The experience showed us how much power CVG workers have. It made us realize we needed a union too. So after the strike, we organized. We built overwhelming support throughout the hub and we made it clear that if DHL refused to recognize us as Teamsters, we were ready to shut them down.”

More than 2,000 DHL hub workers became Local 89 Teamsters. They are gearing up for contract negotiations next year. 

“DHL already knows the power that CVG Teamsters have. They know what a strike means for their business and they know that we’re ready to fight for the contract we deserve.”