Stewards

Courage, integrity, tenacity, grit, justice, fairness….These are all words that come to mind when speaking about the drivers at Premier Recycling, who, in 2022, voted for union representation. They courageously stood up for their rights in the face of a very combative employer.

So today is a very special day. We are proud to report that the members at Premier Recycling have ratified their first contract at 100%. We couldn’t be more excited to see these drivers get their first contract, their back pay, and a bright future ahead of them. They are the heroes in this story. Grinding it out, day after day, as they put their trust in each other and in Teamsters Local 853. What a holiday gift to everyone who has ever stood up for fairness and integrity on the job.

“Employers should take note when they see their employees organize and step into their offices to address their issues as a collective.” said Premier Steward Ramon Castillo. “Ignoring issues regarding the safety and treatment of the workers is what led us to unionize this company. By no means was this easy, especially when an employer has the money, union busters, and resources to try and exhaust the pro-union supporters into giving up. The more we were told we would never win, the more determined we became with our solidarity.” “True solidarity was these members really standing with us even when all three stewards were removed from the job. Teamster brothers George Ochoa, Ernie DeLatorre, Jose Lopez, Dante Funtila, Rafael Quiniones, Armando Aguilar, Ken Stewart and Albert Velasco. Thank you!!”

This was truly an all-hands-on-deck effort by the entire labor community.

As it proves, time and time again, if you are a company that decides to act in bad faith with a legally formed union group, you will lose. Every time. End of story.

We would like to especially recognize our Premier Recycling stewards, Mike Flores, Alex Obeso, and Ramon Castillo. These members went through extraordinary efforts to build the base on which their membership stood.

We also want to recognize the entire labor community, the JC7, and all the Bay Area Labor Councils and Bay Area Building Trades who stood behind these workers by authorizing picket actions, denouncing Premier Recycling’s anti-union actions, and ending the company’s ability to perform pro-union labor agreements. This kind of pressure on the company was simply undeniable and very taxing.

And would be remiss not to acknowledge the tireless efforts of Business Agents Jesse Casqueiro, James Long, our union attorney Abel Rodriguez, and Teamsters Local 853 Vice President Ray Torres, who graciously stepped in at the eleventh hour to push our negotiations over for the win.

So now that we have a contract in place, we want these Teamsters to thrive on that next contract. That means recognizing that the company came to terms with a union workforce. And it’s now in the interest of all of the above-mentioned parties to support Premier Recycling as a Union entity. We dust ourselves off from our disagreement and support every effort to make Premier a successful business for the sake of our members and good business practices in our communities.

To all the Teamster 853 members at Premier, Happy Holidays!!! Welcome to the fight and to the Teamster family.

Below is just some of the history behind this contract.

Full Quote from Ramon Castillo, Premier Recycling Steward:

Employers should take note when they see their employees organize and step into their offices to address their issues as a collective. Ignoring those issues regarding the safety and treatment of the workers is what led us to unionize this company. By no means was this easy, especially when an employer has the money, union busters, and resources to try and exhaust the pro-union supporters into giving up. The more we were told we would never win, the more determined we became with our solidarity. Workers were shamed, family’s were effected and livelihoods. In the end, our resilience prevailed. Gracias to the Teamsters Local 853: Steve Beck, Ray Torres, the business agents Pablo Barrera, Jesse Casqueiro, James Long, and union attorney Abel Rodriguez. Another big gracias to San Jose councilman Peter Ortiz for his support. I’m proud to have led this battle with my brothers, Michael Flores and Alex Obeso. Workers look like us too, whether anyone likes it or not. Last but not least thank you to the membership my Teamster brothers George Ochoa, Ernie DeLatorre, Jose Lopez, Dante Funtila, Rafael Quiniones, Armando Aguilar, Ken Stewart and Albert Velasco for their full commitment from beginning to end. I couldn’t have asked for a more solid team. Someone once told us at this company we could get fired for anything because the company wasn’t Union. Thank you because it only motivated us. Contract in place and Si La Hicimos!

Video Created by the Members