The following is from the Teamsters Union to their membership:

Your Teamsters national negotiating committee met last week with representatives of DHL to begin the historic task of negotiating a new DHL National Master Agreement. Appointed by General President Jim Hoffa, the national committee comprises representatives of Teamsters locals from around the country that represent members working in every aspect of DHL Expresss business.

While we cannot yet reveal information about specific proposals and discussions, your committee is encouraged by the tone of these talks and DHLs willingness to negotiate within the framework provided by Articles 1-39 of the National Master Freight Agreement (NMFA).

Using current contract provisions should allow us to quickly move through the process of negotiating the common clauses and begin work on the operational supplementspick-up and delivery, clerical, gateway and hubas well as allowing each locals representatives to begin bargaining local riders.

The new DHL National Master Agreement will cover all local unions covered under the NMFA and a number of locals that previously negotiated stand-alone white paper agreements.

Your national bargaining committee is scheduled to negotiate through the end of October, including weekends, and will continue to update you as we work through this historic process.