Service agents at the DHL Express facility in Portland, Oregon recently organized a Union with Teamsters Local 162.  DHL Driver and Ramp employees in Portland have been under a Teamster contract for over 40 years.  This new office clerical group now makes representation at DHL in Portland wall to wall.  On Sunday, January 26, DHL service agents ratified their first time office clerical contract with the Teamsters in Portland, and are now full fledged members of Teamsters Local 162.  The group is now under the DHL National Master contract and a newly negotiated Local 162 Office Clerical Rider that made significant improvements to the groups overall wages, hours and working conditions.  This new group will also be participating in the Oregon Teamster Employers Trust health and welfare plans, and the Western Conference of Teamsters Pension Trust.  Local 162 Business Agent Mike Van Orsow is assigned with the representational duties for all DHL employees in Portland.  

Local 162 coordinated this organizing effort with Teamsters Local 174 who also recently ratified a first ever historic contract for DHL service agents in Seattle.  "We want to thank Local 174 Secretary-Treasurer Rick Hicks for letting us join his team at the negotiating table in Seattle," says Mark Davison, President of Teamsters Local 162.  "Local 174 backed us 100% and the united effort produced significant results for these new members in Seattle and Portland.  In addition to brother Hicks, we also worked closely with IBT Vice President Bill Hamilton who heads up National DHL negotiations and backed our efforts and Local 174 Union representatives Patty Warren and Dave Jacobsen.  We also want to recognize the backing and unity that Local 162 and Local 174 members in the driver and ramper ranks provided in this organizing campaign.  Solidarity produced results."