Last weekend, Teamster 853 members of Golden Brands in San Jose held a proposal meeting to discuss their upcoming contract negotiation.
“We are unified and on the right path,” said Teamsters 853 Vice President Ray Torres. “Our members are motivated, involved, and behind their committee; it’s the best way to get a great contract for everyone in the group! I’m proud of each and every member who participated.”
Teamster 853 Costco workers in the Bay Area will soon be gearing up for contract negotiations. And what better way to start getting our Costco Teamster family focused and united on this coming contract than a delicious barbecue? Costco has a National contract with thousands of members across the country, and a good way to start getting our Costco Teamster family focused on this coming contract is to have a meal together and discuss strategy. So last week, Teamsters Local 853 served barbecue to our members in San Jose, Sunnyvale, and Redwood City.
“When Teamsters are unified, we win big. So, we are bringing our Costco family together to get ready for our upcoming National Contract negotiations.” Said Teamster President Steven Lua. “We’re looking forward to working with our Costco sisters and brothers across the whole country.”
“We come out to these members’ workplaces, serve them food, and talk about the best way to maximize our opportunity in this contract.” Said Teamster Business Agent Cesar Martinez, “It’s a great way to kick things off among a group that is already very strong and focused.”
This was a multi-day affair. Local 853 made sure there were enough staff in attendance to talk to members and help with the barbecue. In attendance were Secretary-Treasurer Steve Beck, President Steven Lua, Vice President Ray Torres, Recording Secretary Mike Henneberry, and Business Agents Scott Gonsalves, James Long, Cesar Martinez, Efren Alarcon, Gloria Segura, and Jonathan Pinney.
I’m proud to introduce Chief Steward for MV Transportation Half Moon Bay/Mission Bay Martin Haro. He was instrumental in bargaining their recent contract extension. Because of his hard work and dedication, Martin helped secure a massive wage increase for all classifications, along with improvements to health and welfare.
Its members like Martin allow us as business agents to have an accurate assessment of what any particular group will require during bargaining. We sincerely appreciate Martin and all the hard working members at MV Half Moon Bay.
Sincerely, David Crawford, Teamsters Local 853 Business Agent
Be ready for your next union job when the opportunity presents itself by taking this two-hour training course. Learn about the interview process, what to expect, and how to prepare.
CTWI is holding three separate free seminars during the summer. If you think you can benefit, then show up at Teamsters Local 853. We will see you there!
This Tuesday evening, the teamsters at Watsonville Community Hospital held a ratification meeting, and they voted unanimously to accept the new contract offer. This has been a long-running affair. Three years ago, the Hospital was in financial trouble under previous leadership, preventing substantive increases for its employees at that time. However, things have changed as the Hospital is now under new leadership and ownership.
“We spent six months working to improve wages and benefits for our members and came out successful in our efforts.” said Teamster 853 President Steven Lua, “This road has been long and winding. Congratulations to these members. They have really earned this victory!”
Teamsters helping Teamsters in Santa Cruz and Monterey County: The history of how Parajo Valley community residents teamed up with Teamsters Local 853, other locals, politicians, and community leaders to save the Watsonville Community Hospital.
The Watsonville Community Hospital is the go-to facility for many residents in the Parajo Valley community. A community made up of parts of Santa Cruz County to the north and Monterey County to the south. This hospital has been a mainstay in the community. In 2022, the “for-profit” hospital filed for bankruptcy and faced a shutdown, which would have been a devastating loss to the community. So Local Unions, including Teamsters Local 853, several area politicians, and community advocates, successfully lobbied to create a specific Parajo Valley Health District to carve out funding to publically save and run the hospital. And in 2022, the bill was signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom, and the hospital was saved.
The very same Parajo Valley community is home to many Teamster 853 food processing and warehousing workers. These Teamster 853 women and men process and pack the fruits and vegetables in Watsonville for brand names like Green Giant and Driscolls. That food is then shipped all across the country.
So today we not only celebrate this great new contract for the Watsonville Community Hospital Teamsters, but also the success of the lobbying to keep the hospital running and supporting a community that so many other Teamster 853 members live and work in.
If you are a Monterey or Santa Cruz County resident who voted to approve the funding measure in the last election, we want to express our heartfelt gratitude for your role in strengthening this community of Teamsters.
Now, it’s time for the payoff. These members voted to Unionize just a couple of months ago, and now are bringing their A-game to the negotiating table.
“Stay unified, trust your committee and guidance from the Local,” said Teamster Vice President Ray Torres.
On behalf of every member and staff at Teamsters Local 853, we are watching; you have our support; make us proud, get that good contract, and change the lives of you and your coworkers for the better!!
Stay tuned to this space as we report back to you on the results of their efforts.
– Every month, Teamster 853 members at DHL formally meet 30 minutes before the 10 AM start time. This regular check-in gives our members a chance to get updates on workplace issues, share their complaints and concerns, and discuss actions and solutions.
Big shout out to all the members at DHL PAO in Sunnyvale, CA. And a thank you to Chief Steward Darren Allioto for putting in the time and effort to coordinate and run this effort every month. We want to recognize this crew as a model for good communication and for building a strong, well-informed group.
Congratulations to these new members from Tony’s Fine Foods, who got together on Sunday with Teamsters 853 President Steven Lua and Vice President Ray Torres to begin preparations for negotiating their first contract. There are 190 drivers who span a large geographic area across multiple Teamster Locals.
Stick together, be smart about your contract, trust your committee and representation. And get that great contract!!
This month, in Virginia, COSTCO employees did something no COSTCO location has done in 20 years. They voted to join the Teamsters.
Nationally, many workers at COSTCO believe that the corporate culture has been changing for the worse. This change has made it more difficult to get good jobs with good benefits at COSTCO. So, the only option workers have to improve their situation is to begin to organize at COSCOs around the nation.
Enter Teamsters Local 853. Our local represents a large segment of COSTCO employees in California and we wanted to show our support for the success Sean O’Brien and Teamsters Local 822 had in their organizing drive. This event has become the spark that will light the fire at COSTCO locations nationwide. It is a rallying cry for all those workers who need representation.
Vice President Ray Torres, Recording Secretary Mike Henneberry, and Business Agent Cesar Martinez from Local 853 were present to show support and meet with others, including Sean O’Brien, to discuss organizing COSTCO locations around the country in more granular terms.
Stay tuned to this space as we bring you more updates on the progress of this very significant initiative.
