Sisters and Brothers,
It has been a little over two years since you elected our administration, and we are happy to report to you that the state of our Union is Strong.
“because of you” [Steve, this might be a good place to write your personal message, etc etc]
So, let’s get to it and give you an update by the numbers:
Contracts: Teamsters Local 853 has secured more record contracts in the past two years than at almost any other time in our recent history. This success stems from a strong unity among our members and the guidance of our Business Agents, who identify legitimate opportunities and help members work toward these goals together. Unity means trusting one another, trusting the negotiating committee, and trusting the Local’s guidance to vote as a well-informed group. This formula has proven successful in nearly every contract over the past two years.
[Steve, I added Efren’s group even though they will not contribute to the Local’s bottom line – we still organized them]
Organizing: Recruiting new members is the lifeblood of any union, and the mantra “Grow or Die” rings true here. In the past two years, we’ve added more new members than in the previous 10 years combined, organizing roughly 500 new members. This is an outstanding achievement, one that marks our best performance in over a decade.
Staffing: Adding Business Agents and staff is always a balance between meeting member needs and managing finances. Teamsters Local 853’s finances have allowed us to expand in areas where we were lacking. In total, we’ve added four new full-time Business Agents, with only two retiring. This means we now have two additional Business Agents to address areas of need, while still maintaining a positive cash flow. After covering the costs of the new BAs, we continue to take in more money than we spend. This is how its done responsibly.
Finances: If you come to the member meetings, you will hear financial reports delivered to the members monthly. And what you will hear is that Teamsters Local 853’s cash flow is positive, meaning we are taking in more money and saving some of it for rainy day or unexpected future expenditures. Our financial house is in order. We are ready for our future.
[Steve, the weird economic and political shit is going to be happening that I suspect may impact Unions quite a bit over the next few years. I believe its important to acknowledge this with the members for two reasons. 1. Subtle way to get the members to connect their votes to their pocketbooks. 2. If shit hits the fan and lets say contracts get more challenging due to economic downturn, or organizing gets thwarted due to lack of NLRB support, we NEED an “I told you this might happen” and rightly blame the economy, not the EB for the problems. ]
Economic Future: Uncertainty in our economy often goes hand in hand with the strength and stability of our union. It would be irresponsible not to acknowledge that the current economic and political climate is concerning. We see the challenges ahead and are actively preparing for their potential impact. The good news is that we are ready. Our union has secured strong contracts in a wide range of political and economic environments before, and we are committed to doing so again. That said, it’s important to recognize how closely our success is tied to broader and local political conditions. This is why we dedicate so much effort to supporting candidates who stand with unions. Without lawmakers who champion policies that protect and uplift workers, the work we do would be far more difficult—if not impossible.
So, on behalf of the entire Executive Board, I want to once again tell you that the State of Teamsters Local 853 is strong, secure, and ready for our future.
But I will always say it, that what makes Teamsters Local 853 great is YOU our members, and the unity you bring. Good contracts, good growth, good finances, and good politics come from a membership that is well-informed, active, and most of all, unified.
If you want to get more connected to us, please sign up here for our email list and like and follow our Facebook and Instagram pages, where you will see updates daily on what we are doing at the local to maintain the above pillars of success.
In Union,
Steve Beck, Secretary-Treasurer and Principal Officer
Steven Lua, President
Ray Torres, Vice-President
Mike Henneberry, Recording Secretary
Trustee Joel Bellison
Trustee Andrew Nunes
Trustee Gloria Segura
