Brian Fisher

The 33 driver/warehouse workers at JDRC (formerly known as River Cannabis), with locations and deliveries to dispensaries across California, unanimously ratified their new three-year contract in January.

\”The negotiations went well,\” says Business Rep Steve Beck. \”Things got tense at times, as all negotiations do, but calmer minds prevailed,\” Beck added, saying that this is a great company. \”They take care of their people. They work well with the union. It’s what a real partnership looks like.\”

Beck said that the company understood how the pandemic impacted our members. \”As a result, we got significant gains across the board, including wages, pension, and health and welfare. As the company grows, we\’ve negotiated labor peace agreements, and we hope to build this group and organize more in this industry.\”

Beck wanted to acknowledge and thank Stewards Kevin Matzek and William “Bill” Easterwood. \”They were integral in negotiations and provided invaluable information. Having strong support from the membership was the number one reason why we were able to come to such a lucrative contract.\”

They say the third time is the charm, and for the members at Genesis Logistics, it took three contract offers before they finally ratified their new 18-month contract on February 16, 2022.

Genesis Logistics is a Third-Party contractor that delivers to 7-11 stores from Fresno to Yuba City. Local 853 represents about 60 drivers and 40 warehouse workers at the Union City hub.

“While the union had recommended the first contract, the members turned it down,” says Business Rep Efren Alarcon. “We didn’t recommend the company’s second proposal and knew it wouldn’t pass. At that point, we were seriously considering going on strike,” he adds.

But the union stayed at the table and kept pushing. “Ultimately, we got a good 18-month contract that includes significant gains,” Alarcon explains. “The warehouse workers had been underpaid for many years, and they got a 15% increase in year one, with an additional dollar in the second year. The drivers got a 9% raise over the 18-month contract term.”

Alarcon says that they also changed the employer split on the medical plan, moving from 70-30 to 75-25, with the goal of getting an 80-20 split in the next contract. “And in another huge win, we changed how they pay for vacation time, ensuring that workers get their regular wage for vacation time, rather than a lower vacation rate.”

The committee backed the final contract unanimously and the members overwhelmingly ratified it. Their previous contract had expired on July 1, 2021; in lieu of retroactive pay, every member got a $3,000 signing bonus. Alarcon wanted to recognize the great work of the bargaining team: Trent Rivera, Ruben Picado, and Pete Hall.

The nine Teamsters who work at adhesive-manufacturer Henkel in Berkeley ratified their new four-year contract on February 15, and Business Rep Stu Helfer reports that it may be the best contract they\’ve ever had. While the company wanted to pull this group out of the Teamster health and welfare plan and move them to the same company plan that the rest of its employees around the nation work under, the Berkeley group stayed strong and kept their Teamster plan, only moving from the TMT plan to the TBT plan. Meanwhile, they got significant wage and pension increases each year and the company increased its monthly caps to cover the health and welfare costs.

\”This is an addendum to the Master Warehouse agreement that we are part of along with the ILWU. For the second time in a row, this agreement is much better than the master,\” adds Helfer.

All Teamsters Local 853 members are invited to join the union on April 23 for the Sharks vs. Blackhawks game at the SAP Center in San Jose.

In addition to seeing the game, the ticket price includes some cool game-related raffles for items such as:

• 15 lower bowl premium seats;
• 2 signed jerseys; and
• 2-4 kids watching warm-ups from the Penalty Box.

The first 250 people who show up will get Sharks/Union water bottles.

Tickets are limited and will go fast. Each member can get a maximum of 4 tickets. Send a check for $65 per ticket to Local 853\’s Oakland office (7750 Pardee Lane, Oakland 94621) or call Jennifer at 510-746-3322 to pay by credit card. If you have questions, contact Jennifer at jpayne@teamsters853.org.

On February 1, Business Rep Jesse Casqueiro brought the Teamster truck to the Assumption School in San Leandro for a \”Community Helpers Fair.\” The kids got a chance to look around the truck and learn about how they can become good community servants and the role that Teamsters play in supporting our communities.

On February 23, over 500 Teamsters from across Northern and Central California came together at UPS’ San Francisco building to protest the company\’s decision to slash wages by up to $6/hour for part-timers. The event was sponsored by the Nor Cal Teamster UPS Committee and Teamsters Joint Council 7. UPS workers and Teamster supporters came from across the Bay Area and as far as Fresno, Watsonville, and Sacramento. The Local had a huge turnout from the Sunnyvale and Watsonville hubs.

“This company recorded record profits in 2021, Peter Nuñez, Chair of the Nor Cal Teamsters UPS Committee told the demonstrators. “They raised prices on their customers in 2021. What did they do in 2022? They reduced the wages of their already lowest-paid workers.” He added that the $6/hour pay cut comes out to about $5500/year. “It probably doesn\’t sound like much to UPS CEO Carol Tomé, who makes millions, but it’s pulling the rug out from under thousands of families.”

“Our members have been working through this pandemic to keep UPS running, made them billions in profit, then they turn around and slash the lowest-paid workers – it’s disgraceful,” said Jason Rabinowitz, President of Teamsters Joint Council 7. “We are gearing up for a fight when we bargain our next contract with UPS. We are going to have to stand together as Teamsters and force UPS to be fair to workers, and that’s what we are doing today”

State Senator Scott Weiner was joined on stage by several San Francisco Supervisors, including President Shamann Walton, Rafael Mandelman, Dean Preston, and Aaron Peskin. They all pledged that they will stand with the workers and speak strongly against the pay cuts. “We are in the middle of a pandemic and your wages are being messed with. That\’s something we\’re not going to stand for,” said Walton. “We\’ll stand with you to tell UPS that you cannot play games with people\’s salaries or their livelihoods.”

Part-timers Melissa Castro and Yvette Osuno (both part-timers at Sunnyvale UPS and Local 853 members), told the crowd about their experiences. Both are struggling single mothers who have very long commutes. Neither they nor their co-workers had received advanced notice of the significant pay cut.

Rabinowitz explained that while Northern California took the lead with these protests, they’ve been picked up by Teamster locals around the country, including in Southern California and Philadelphia. “We’re Teamsters Rising!”

January Day of Action at eight UPS Hubs

On January 27, Local 853-represented UPS members filled the UPS San Jose parking lot to protest the company\’s sudden declaration that they would cut the pay for part-timers by $6 per hour. This comes despite the company having made record-breaking profits in 2021 and recently increasing prices for their customers.

\”UPS has grown during the pandemic with the explosion in online shopping,\” said UPS NorCal Committee Chair Peter Nuñez. \”Our members worked non-stop to earn the company billions in profits, yet UPS failed to give them hazard pay. Now UPS is choosing to cut part-timers\’ pay back to minimum wage levels. This is unconscionable.\”

This event was one of eight that were held the same morning across Northern California and Northern Nevada.

The Teamsters Union is entering into contract negotiations with UPS this year. The collective bargaining agreement covers roughly 325,000 workers across America, the largest agreement of its kind in the country.