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DHL tug and ramp workers at CVG say yes to the Teamsters

Holly Yurchison
/
WVXU
Rank and file members hope the Teamsters can get them better working conditions at CVG.

A three-day voting period has ended and a majority of 1,100 DHL ramp and tug workers have decided to join the Teamsters.

Earlier this month, workers held a rally just outside the DHL global hub in Erlanger, Ky., saying they wanted management to guarantee safer working conditions.

Eight-year employee Michelle Sanchez participated in that rally and hopes a union will force the company to better prevent and treat injuries. She describes a time when DHL was short staffed and she got hurt.

RELATED: DHL-CVG employees rally ahead of union vote

"They never did send help, so it was just me and another girl up there pushing thousand-pound cans and I felt a pop. I know I did something," she says.

She says she had a dislocated shoulder and was initially just given Tylenol.

According to records obtained by the Teamsters through a Freedom of Information Act request, in 2022, there were at least 22 workplace injuries that required employees be taken to the hospital or an emergency room.

DHL says it does "prioritize worker safety and welfare, not just at our Hub but in all of our operations."

In an email to WVXU, the company also says, "We recognize our employees' right to unionize within the confines of the law and are fully committed to all agreements we have with our local, national and international labor partners. We believe that fostering a collaborative and respectful relationship with our employees and their representatives is key to our continued success."

RELATED: In the wake of a worker shortage, DHL is ramping up the use of robotics

Ramp Agent Brandi Dale says she no longer wants to be silent. "I want us to have our own voice," she says. "I want us to be able to say what we need to say and I want us to be heard."

Ann Thompson has decades of journalism experience in the Greater Cincinnati market and brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to her reporting.