Unifor’s 2,100 members at DHL Express Canada are heading back to work after the union and the parcel giant hammered out a tentative agreement late Tuesday. The deal—struck after 17 days of picket lines and a company-imposed lockout—covers couriers, truck drivers, warehouse hands, and clerical staff from British Columbia to Nova Scotia. While details stay under wraps until ratification meetings in the coming days, Unifor leaders say the pact addresses core issues of wages, workload, and job security that had stalled talks since winter.

The strike snarled shipments at a critical time for Canadian e-commerce: cross-border parcels were rerouted, small retailers faced delivery delays, and DHL’s competitors scrambled to absorb overflow. Pressure mounted as wildfire evacuations and G7 summit security tightened freight corridors nationwide, prompting federal and provincial politicians to call for a quick resolution. Sources on both sides hint that the new deal includes improvements to scheduling flexibility and inflation-offset raises, but emphasize that members will see the full language first.

For DHL, ending the dispute restores a coast-to-coast network that processes millions of packages a week and underpins its North American growth strategy. For Unifor—Canada’s largest private-sector union with 320,000 members—the outcome reinforces its push for stronger logistics standards amid soaring parcel volumes and rising cost-of-living concerns. If members ratify, the agreement could set a fresh benchmark for wages and working conditions in Canada’s fast-growing courier sector.