Labor & Employment Law Daily Wrap Up, LABOR NEWS—Teamsters secures contracts at DHL and Smithfield Foods, succeeds with other employers, (May 7, 2026)

By WK Editorial Staff

Pepsi-Cola sales representatives in Georgia also voted to join Teamsters.

Teamsters has announced several recent successes in achieving new contracts with major employers, including DHL and Smithfield Foods, as well as with a $1 billion sanitation company with more than 2,000 Teamsters-represented workers. Pepsi-Cola sales representatives in Georgia also voted to join the local Teamsters union.

National DHL contract. DHL Teamsters overwhelmingly ratified a new four-year national contract, with 92 percent support, covering thousands of workers across 26 locals. The agreement, achieved after a credible strike threat, delivers a 20 percent wage increase, improved health and welfare benefits, and strong job protections. It also includes safeguards against AI-driven systems and bans autonomous vehicles. The deal followed a credible nationwide strike threat and reflects strong worker unity and bargaining leverage.

“DHL Teamsters were prepared to take action and hold management accountable if they failed to deliver,” said Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien. “Our members were ready to shut this company down if it failed to live up to its obligations, and management knew it. That leverage delivered serious wage increases, locked in strong job protections, and made it clear that Teamsters will not allow technology to undermine our rights or livelihoods.”

Smithfield Foods local. More than 300 Teamsters Local 822 members at Smithfield Foods in Virginia overwhelmingly ratified a new contract delivering improved wages and workplace protections. The agreement includes a 12 percent pay increase with back pay, blocks health care cost hikes, guarantees pay for certain absences, and ends a problematic break-time policy. It also creates a training program to expand opportunities, reflecting strong worker unity after rejecting an earlier inadequate proposal.

Georgia Pepsi workers. More than 30 Pepsi-Cola sales representatives in Stonecrest, Georgia, voted to join Teamsters Local 528, seeking improved wages, stronger workplace protections, and greater respect. The workers organized despite company efforts to delay changes, remaining unified in their push for representation. Union leaders highlighted growing momentum at Pepsi facilities statewide and pledged support as the new members prepare to negotiate their first collective bargaining agreement.

Sanitation workers. Nearly 400 Recology workers in Washington, represented by Teamsters Local 174, approved a historic contract with 95 percent support. Recology is a $1 billion sanitation company headquartered in San Francisco, California. The deal includes raises of up to 43 percent, $5-per-hour pension increases, additional paid time off, stronger safety protections, and enhanced seniority rights.

“This is one of the best contracts Local 174 has ever produced. It is the direct result of the engagement of the members and the planning and process that we worked together to outline ahead of this successful campaign,” said Rick Hicks, Teamsters Western Region International Vice President and Secretary-Treasurer of Local 174.

Companies: DHL; Smithfield Foods; Recology; Pepsi-Cola

News: LaborNews IndustryNewsTrends