Brian Fisher

Members at Alhambra Water voted unanimously to authorize a strike and engaged in practice picketing yesterday morning at four Bay Area locations. Progress of negotiations has been very slow with Alhambra and there have been several key areas that Alhamabra is refusing to recognize.

The members are being paid below the industry standard for the work they do, and the company has continually tried to change company policy affecting members without member involvement.

There is no win-win with these tactics, so members are fed up, and rightly so. They may have to use their ace in the hole and strike, just to get whats fair.

This past Saturday, Teamsters Locals 70, 315, 896, and 853 voted by a margin of 370-29 to ratify a new contract and an extensive change of operations agreement. This was a long and complex contract that incorporated many moving parts, including the restructuring of territories in the Bay Area.

Shout out to our Coca-Cola stewards, Jerry Trujillo and Jason Aguilar, and everyone who participated in the decision-making committees.

Special thanks to Pete Lamb, International Representative of the Brewery Soft Drink division, for bringing everything together in the dark hours before dawn (literally)!

GILLIG, America’s premier heavy-duty transit bus manufacturer, built by skilled unionized workers represented by Teamsters Local 853, proudly announces the delivery of the first batch of 35 Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) buses to ABQ RIDE in Albuquerque, with plans for an additional 18 buses later in 2024. This milestone highlights the collaboration between GILLIG and its dedicated union workforce.  

“Our members at GILIG, with the strong support of the stewards committee, have just ratified a historic contract with the company.” Said Teamsters 853 Secretary-Treasurer and GILIG Business Agent Steve Beck. “They are at the forefront of the low-emission vehicle industry and take pride in contributing towards a sustainable future. We were delighted to hear about the ABQ RIDE delivery and are excited to see more Teamster-built vehicles hitting the road soon.”

This past Saturday, members from Prudential Overall Supply had a proposal meeting to discuss their upcoming new contract. Stick together, listen to your committee, and get that good contract. Shout out to shop steward Duke Sevilla for all you do for your members every day.

Sisters and Brothers,

One of the most powerful tools we have for gaining strong contracts against greedy corporations is our numbers at the ballot box.

To protect the hard-earned gains in our contracts, it is critical that we elect politicians who share our values. Electing officials who have our backs will ensure companies will not be allowed to roll back the standards we have raised in wages, benefits, and pensions.
Protect yourself, your family, and our union – Vote for these union-friendly officials!

Today was a good day for all the Teamsters who work at the Amports compounds on this new contract. Negotiations secured the highest pay raises in Amport’s history while not giving up any other current benefits. Gains were also made on Vacation and some other important language in the contract.

“Our members stuck together and really made it happen.” Said Business Agent Efren Alarcon, “we have separate compounds for many hard-working members at Amports including; Mazda / Vinfast (Vietnamese car maker), GM, VW / Audi / Porsche & Bentley, Toyota & the Core Compound. It’s a really good contract, thanks to everyone who dug in and got it done.”

Through grassroots political action and aggressive lobbying on Capitol Hill, State Houses, and City Halls across America, Teamsters have stopped some of the worst attacks on working people.

But Big Business is always aggressively pushing their agenda to increase profits at workers’ expense. They outspend working families on politics by more than 15-1. But you can help us fight back. Contributing to the “Drive”. “Drive” is the Teamsters’ political action committee that gives Teamsters the political muscle to work on national issues of improving job safety and providing affordable childcare and to stopping abuses by corporate health providers and insurance companies.

Can you take a stand for working families by contributing to DRIVE? Your contribution will support grassroots action by Teamster families to stand up to Big Business interests.

Three key focuses for Drive are:

• Keeping members and their families informed on the key issues that affect our future, including voter guides that show the records of our Senators and Representatives in Congress.
• Rallies, news conferences, advertisements, and phone banks to build support on issues of concern to working people.
• Voter registration and financial support for political candidates who will stand up for working families. DRIVE is non-partisan and independent of any political party.

So the next time we come out to your workplace to become a contributing member to “Drive” , say yes, contribute, and help us tip the scales in our favor.