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Members,
We’re writing to address the misleading communication sent to you by DHL’s CEO—a message clearly designed to create division, spread fear, and undermine your bargaining committee.
Let’s be clear: you are the union. Your bargaining committee is made up of DHL workers, elected by you, negotiating based on the priorities you gave us. Any suggestion otherwise is a deliberate attempt to paint us as outsiders and to sidestep your democratic voice in this process.
The Real Story:
DHL claims this is a “union shutdown.” That’s false. This situation began with a company-initiated lockout. Management made the decision to lock out workers and shut down operations. Only after that did the union announce strike action in response. It was DHL that denied you the right to work—not your union.
The reality is the company already had scabs in its facilities three days before the deadline - a clear sign that it never intended to reach a fair deal at the table.
When the company realized its attempt to continue operations using scabs was blocked by new federal anti-scab legislation, they went into spin mode. Even before the law took effect, DHL tried and failed to secure a special exemption from the federal government to continue using scabs.
Following that failure, the company reverted to its usual playbook—attacking the union to deflect from its own actions. After locking you out and trying to break your power at the table, now they want to cry foul about the consequences of their own decisions.
Divide and Distract Tactics:
Instead of returning to the bargaining table in good faith, DHL is trying to bypass your elected committee to pressure and confuse members. Their letter is full of threats: take less now, or we’ll offer even less later. That’s not negotiation. That’s corporate bullying. They want you to believe we’ve refused to bargain. When the bargaining committee and DHL last met it was the company that refused to acknowledge the union’s proposal.
In truth, your committee has been and remains ready and willing to negotiate a fair deal—one that respects all classifications, all provinces, and reflects the realities of your work. DHL walked away and locked the doors.
The Facts on DHL’s Offer:
The company talks about its wage proposal but fails to acknowledge the wage adjustments your bargaining committee is seeking for clerical workers, who perform critical work in a high-pressure environment. We are also demanding fairness for members in Quebec and Nova Scotia, where wages remain significantly lower than in other provinces—a disparity DHL has so far refused to address.
They talk about severance enhancements but conveniently leave out that they are refusing protections for jobs lost to AI.
The Owner Operator payment system was originally introduced with no concessions or changes to the collective agreement tied to its acceptance. Now, the employer is attempting to tie acceptance of the new payment model to concessions that have nothing to do with it, including the removal of existing rights and protections in the new agreement.
While DHL claims that some Owner Operators will see income increases under this model, they fail to acknowledge that others will experience losses. The company is pushing a one-size-fits-all approach without addressing its unequal impact.
The claim that DHL is not forcing any driver to travel more than 100km to reach their route or pick up freight is flat out false. Under the company’s “meet point” model, DHL disregards where drivers live. In fact, there are multiple active arbitrations on this issue, including one where an Owner Operator is forced to drive at least 280km round trip per day without compensation.
Meanwhile, DHL tries to portray our proposals for Owner Operators, such as fair route assignments, compensation for heavy packages, and zone grandfathering, as unreasonable. In reality, these are basic, common-sense protections for the work you already do every day.
Stay United:
This is not the time to be divided. DHL’s message is a desperate attempt to drive a wedge between workers. But your strength is in your unity. You are part of a union that is defending your right to fair bargaining, decent work, and respect on the job. The company can issue all the memos it wants. What it can’t do is bargain with itself.
We urge DHL to return to the table and do what they should have done from the start: negotiate a fair agreement with the people who make this company run—you.
In solidarity,
Your Bargaining Committee
