Teamsters members employed by DHL Express in the United States have overwhelmingly authorized their union leadership to call for a strike. This action will be taken if the express delivery company fails to present an acceptable contract offer by the end of March. The current national master agreement, which covers thousands of drivers and warehouse workers across 26 local unions in 16 states, is set to expire on March 31. Key union priorities in the negotiations include increased pay, improved working conditions, and the protection of benefits. The strike authorization vote saw a decisive 96% approval from the members, as announced by the Teamsters on Tuesday. The union has cautioned DHL that both the national contract and all supplemental agreements for local work units must be finalized before the March 31 deadline. They have explicitly stated that they will not agree to any contract extensions. Previous communications from the union have emphasized that all supplemental bargaining must be concluded before a national agreement can be finalized. Bill Hamilton, director of the Teamsters Express Division, stated in a news release, "DHL should be on notice that they need to start moving quickly to complete the supplements and present an acceptable contract offer. Our members will not work a day past the expiration of our current agreement. If DHL fails to deliver, Teamsters at the company are prepared to take action." Negotiators for DHL Express and the Teamsters have been engaged in meetings in Washington.