A nation-wide labour dispute has ended at DHL Express Canada after nearly three weeks.
Unifor says members ratified a new four-year agreement by 72% over the weekend, officially ending a lockout and strike that began on June 8th.
Canada’s largest private sector union represents 2,100 truck drivers, couriers, warehouse and clerical workers at the delivery company, including in Ontario and Manitoba.
According to a release, the new contract features a 15.75% increase in wages throughout the life of the contract, a new payment structure for owner-operators, pension increases for hourly workers and a new pension for owner-operators.
In addition, there are increases to short and long-term disability payments, a new mental health benefit, increases to severance, wage adjustments and much-desired language around AI, robotics and automatic, and improved work-from-home language.
The union calls it a historic dispute because it became the first test case under the new federal replacement workers legislation.
Unifor’s Quebec Director Daniel Cloutier says in a statement, “This was a critical moment for the labour movement across Canada. The determination of our members in Quebec and across the country has sent a clear message: the anti-scab law must be respected, and workers will no longer tolerate being sidelined.”
The union also thanks the public for its patience as members resolve the backlog of packages and deliveries.
