Our brothers and sisters at PFG, who have taken up the fight to organize, met their Teamster Local 853 Union family yesterday outside their facility. Supporters and members from all over the area, including the Gilroy City Council, South Bay Labor Council, representatives from Assemblymember Robert Rivas’s office, Pepsi, Central, UPS, Costco, Recology, Grief, RNDC, and many others, stopped by in full support!
“The company has seen who they are dealing with and knows these members are not hiding. PFG EMPLOYEES HAVE CHOSEN, and It is now time for the company to accept the future!” said Steve Beck, Secretary-Treasurer and principal officer of Teamsters Local 853. “The future where their employees will be TEAMSTERS!!”
On Friday, March 10, 2023, after heavy storms swept through many parts of California, the Watsonville and Pajaro community was devastated when a levee broke, and flooding caused 1,700 residents to be evacuated from their homes. Teamsters Local 853 represents members who were impacted by these floods and to date, members from S. Martinelli, Del Mar Foods, and H.A. Rider have been relocated to shelters and hotels while they wait for officials to allow them to return home. The flood has been named one of the biggest weather-related disasters in California and we are only in the beginning stages of how it has affected the community.
Pajaro Valley is known for its agriculture and is home to many farm workers who will be out of a job this year due to the compromised crops caused by the flooding. The long-term damage means that some of the members we represent will have a low volume of crops to process and package. This affects members from Driscoll’s, Del Mar Foods, and the cold storages that store these crops.
Teamsters Local 853 partnered with other Unions (UFCW, Liuna, Teachers Unions, and others) along with the Monterey and Santa Cruz Central Labor Council that represent employees in the community to host a BBQ event on Wednesday, March 22. We assisted our members and the community by distributing gift cards for groceries. We also distributed clothing and toiletries. We had a strong showing of over 100 members, city officials, and union representatives who spoke on overcoming the devastation these floods created and continuing to build on our community.
If you, or someone you know, have been affected by the flooding, and you are seeking information or support, please contact Teamsters Local 853 President, Steven Lua, with the provided contact information below.
Steven Lua
Teamsters Local 853
22 E. 5th Street
Watsonville, CA 95076
Phone# (831) 724-0683
Fax# (831) 724-1554
On behalf of Teamsters Local 853, we want to congratulate you on taking the first step to better Wages, Benefits, and Protections at your workplace by voting to unionize.
Our entire local of 13,000 members have your back and will support you in getting to the next step of getting a great contract.
Trust us; we will get this done well for you. But the road is hard, and we must all be strong.
Thank you to our Sister Local members who work for Performance Food Group down in the City of Industry. They have your back too. Here are two messages from Teamsters Local 630 from those members who know.
Let’s get it done!!
Ray Torres, Vice-President, Teamsters Local Union 853
Join your brothers and sisters in the labor movement for a great game in Oakland – A’s vs. Yankees on April 15. Contact the Alameda Building Trades Council (btca@btcalameda.org) or the Labor Council (xsanchez@alamedalabor.org) for details on how you can get tickets to this event.
