Ratification

The richest, and first-ever, regional contract in the country; SYSCO Foods ratifies a four-year contract

Teamsters Local 853 members at SYSCO Foods in San Francisco were ground zero for the industry—the first food-service group in the Bay Area to unionize. Their stand set the tone for many others. Since that first SYSCO contract, UNFI, Tony’s Fine Foods, VISTAR, US Foods, and Performance Food Group have all come under contract with Teamsters Local 853.

So when these 853 members came up on its first contract since COVID, they were ready to set another record, a record befitting their place in union history in the Bay Area.

Their first step was commitment as a unified group. In September, they authorized a strike if needed.

Strike vote Approved: 853 Teamsters at SYSCO Foods were ground zero, and opened the door to every major food service company in the Bay Area, now they go to the mat again

A win-win regional contract approach

Before negotiations commenced, SYSCO in Reno and Sacramento were also coming up on the expiration of their contracts. And so Teamsters Local 853, 137, and 533 banded together, under the guidance of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, to pursue the first regional contract that would cover all three locals. This is a classic win-win for all involved. For the Teamsters, the greater our numbers, the more leverage and authority we have to seek improvements for our members. SYSCO also wins, having one group to bargain with, thereby reducing the potential disruptions of three complex union contracts working separately to secure three separate contracts.

The sticking points

There were many sticking points on the way. Job safety was a paramount issue identified during negotiations that almost derailed the contract. Also, a show of force to go to the mat was organized after their strike authorization vote.

On the job safety a major issue in SYSCO Negotiations – Strike Deadline Set
SYSCO Foods Teamsters in SF show their readiness to stand united for a better contract

Then, a first vote was held after Safety concerns were addressed and incorporated into the contract. 👎 But the first vote did not pass. 👎 There were still some wage issues that were not satisfactory. So the company asked to get back to the table to revisit wages.

Success

👍The second vote passed by a more than 2 to 1 margin. 👍 The result! The richest and first regional contract in the Country. All because this groundbreaking group pushed the company to its limits, was confident in their demands, and stayed unified to get it.

“I’m very proud of what SYSCO Teamsters accomplished with this contract,” said Teamsters Vice President and Business Agent Ray Torres. “I felt honored to stand shoulder to shoulder with these members during this groundbreaking contract.” “I hope these members fully recognize the unity, determination, and communication it took to put it together.”

“This is a great win for these members who have seen so much over their years of service,” said Steve Beck, Secretary-Treasurer of Teamsters Local 853. “To know that they have worked hard for what they wanted, fought hard, and achieved their goal is the Teamster way.”

The credit goes to the entire team

Shout out to the members of the negotiating committee who kept everyone unified. Thank you to those who give all that extra effort for their coworkers. Andy Gonzalez, Joe Silva, Reggie Knighten, Rod Melfati, and Marco Ornelas.

Finally, BIG shouts out to: Tom Erickson, IBT director of the Warehouse Division, who helped guide us through this multi-local contract, Russ Butler, principal officer of Teamsters Local 137 in Sacramento, and to Chris Fuqua, Vice president of Teamsters Local 533 in Reno, Nevada. It was an incredible team effort.

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Teamster 853 members at Certainteed ratify record breaking offer

Teamsters Local 853 members at Certainteed ratified a new three-year contract with significant gains to wages.

This group followed the recipe for success. They showed a willingness to go to the mat with an authorized strike vote, then stuck together, didn’t let the company divide them, and in the end, through their unity and commitment, got an exceptionally strong contract.

“Standing shoulder to shoulder, these members did Teamters 853 proud.” Said Teamster 853 Vice President and Business Agent Ray Torres. “These members did it right, and a big thank you to the negotiating committee. They are the ones who go above and beyond for their fellow members.”

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Teamster 853 members at Gatorade overwhelmingly ratify new offer

This week, Teamster 853 members at Gatorade overwhelmingly accepted their new contract offer. The new contract provided record pension increases, wages, and protection from ever-growing healthcare costs. Additionally, we added sick days and stronger language to protect against untimely discipline. This contract continues to pave the way for future employees and also increases the benefits members have already earned. Congratulations to our Oakland Gatorade members.

“This is a really tight group, so when it comes to workplace issues or concerns, they always stick together, and they always keep the steward and me honest,” Said Teamsters 853 President and Business Agent Steven Lua, “so the trust factor and believing in me and the committee really allowed us to go into negotiations with a strong backing.”

He continued, “The other important piece to this success is the relationships we have built with the company. We listen and we push each other to be better. The company thanked the committee for their professionalism and honesty so that they could be accountable to make the changes for everyone’s success.”

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Steeler Inc. ratifies new contract at 100% YES VOTE

🏢 Building the products that build the world.

📣 Big shout-out to these Teamster 853 members from Steeler Inc. These members at Steeler build the metal stud framing that goes into millions of square feet of construction. Our homes, buildings, and skyscrapers.

👉 Last week, they ratified their new contract at 100%. This unanimous vote secured good wage increases, increased sick leave, and PPO. Special thanks and mention to Steward Juan Rubio, who put in the time during negotiations to hit a home run for his fellow members.

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Challenge Dairies Teamsters Ratify new contract at 96% yes vote 

We see the trucks everywhere and signs everywhere. The Northern California butter that lines the shelves of most grocery stores across America. A name synonymous with quality. There is a reason why this quality product continues to be the industry leader it is, and that reason is Teamsters 853 workers.

Because of their work and dedication on the job, Challenge enjoys the reputation it does year after year.

And this year was the year when all that hard work paid off with a very good contract.

For the next three years, these Teamsters 853 members have secured the pay, benefits, and protections commensurate with the work they put in. The new language has a strong pay increase, an increase in pension, and additional vacation pay on top of the already very strong previous contract.

Big shout-out to the members who were part of the process, who expressed their opinions and voted with their voices. And most importantly, thanks to Steward Dave Carlson, who also sat on the negotiating committee and kept members well informed and unified on a strong contract.

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Safeway Milk Plant Teamsters Ratify new contract at whopping 95% yes vote – best contract in memory

As some of the senior members at the Safeway Milk Plant stated, “This is the best contract we have ever had”.

Teamsters 853 members had another great contract ratification this month. After a fairly long and drawn-out set of negotiations, these members walked away with what is arguably being called the best contract ever negotiated for this group.

This contract was considerable. It included an enhanced bonus structure, a strong wage increase, increased contributions to the pension, health and welfare increases, the first-time addition of the QC workers under the contract who now will receive Teamsters Medical and Pension, the addition of office members to the Teamsters medical, improvements to sick leave, bidding, and union business language.

Congratulations to our members for their focus and unity. And thank you to stewards and negotiators—Billy Mitchell, Rich Finkas, Dennis Corchuchia, Michael Frisch, Obed Mora, and Alex Assefa. Your stewardship and contract work exemplify Teamster excellence. Without your leadership, none of this would be possible.

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Student Transportation of America Members Ratify Strong 4-Year Agreement – w/First Time Pension

Student Transportation of America Teamsters have voted to ratify a new four-year contract that delivers meaningful gains in pay, benefits, and protections.

Wage increase was significant, they secured a first-time ever pension contribution, added holidays and sick days, significant health care coverage upgrade, added very important strike language to the contract, and added additional progressive discipline language that more accurately reflects a fairer process.

Of particular importance was the first-ever pension, which makes this important job a more secure long-term career move.

“This group did a great job staying unified and securing improvements that really matter in both day-to-day and long-term on-the-job protections,” said Business Agent James Long. “Big shout out to all the members who participated, lent their voice, and especially those who stepped up for their fellow workers, Stewards Robert and Kelli, who also served on the negotiating committee.”

“These members do the crucially important work of transporting the children in our communities safely to and from school.” Said Steve Beck, Teamsters Local 853 Secretary Treasurer. “By securing a pension along with all of the other improvements of this contract, these members are being recognized for the truly important work they do in our communities. “

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VISTAR Ratified Super First Contract

💪💪💪 VISTAR, one of the Teamsters 853’s new groups, which had one of the strongest Union Drives in recent history, has proven that a strong group with strong unity always wins the day.

Today, they ratified a monster first contract with substantial wage increases, decreased health costs by 50%, daily OT, seniority bidding, paid administrative leave, and the protection of a Teamsters 853 contract that will secure a healthy future with all of the job protections it provides.

🗣️ Teamsters Local 853 Vice-President Ray Torres said, “I am so proud of these members, they started unified and strong and finished unified and strong, and did everything right in the middle.”

🥇 Congratulations to these members on their first contract!!!

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50 Years plus of experiece between two leaders inspires confidence to move aggressively forward

Meet Chief Stewards Tayde Rodriguez and Tony Montano at MV Transportation. Together, they have over 50 years of combined experience in the Paratransit industry.

Last month, we met with Transdev to negotiate a transition agreement as their current employer, MV Transportation, lost their bid with the Valley Transportation Authority(VTA).

What would have been an otherwise challenging time for less seasoned leaders, Tayde and Tony’s voices gave levity to the complex challenges that Paratransit Teamsters Local 853 members have been facing over the last few years. The years of dedication that Stewards like Tayde and Tony have put into rising above and helping out their fellow members is selfless work, and we want to recognize their efforts.

“Now our members are excited about the chance to have a fresh start at our San Jose location,” said Business Agent David Crawford. “The opportunity for leaders like Tayde and Tony to sit across the table with the company and chart their carefully thought-out strategy makes us all successful during challenging times. These stewards are an inspiring example of how experience and leadership help motivate all of our members to be invested, informed, and vocal.”

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Matagrano Votes Overwhelmingly to Ratify New 4-Year Contract

Congratulations to all of the members at Matagrano, a family-owned distributor of Anheuser-Busch products. This group of 220 Teamster 853 members secured the best wage increase to date, added to their pension, and kept their strong, good medical. The vote was overwhelmingly in favor.

Members at Matagrano serve a large distribution area that covers San Francisco City and County, all of San Mateo County, and all of Santa Clara County.

“This was a very good contract process,” said Business Agent Efren Alarcon, “The members got together early; the negotiating committee did an excellent job of understanding the needs of the members, standing up for those needs with the company, and keeping the members well informed throughout the entire process.”

Hats off to every member who put the time in, lent their voice and opinion, and voted with a good working knowledge of what was achievable. The end result was very good gains, and they got it!!

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