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On Saturday, Teamster 853 Staff met with Assemblymember Liz Ortega to discuss Labor-related priorities for the Hayward, San Leandro, Dublin, Union City, and Pleasanton Working Communities. Pictured with assemblywoman Ortega are Trustee Joel Bellison, Recording Secretary and Business Agent Mike Henneberry, and Business Agent Cesar Martinez.

Liz Ortega is a longtime labor leader and activist from an immigrant family who has dedicated her career to fighting for the working-class people of Alameda County. 

As a Teamster 853 member, please remember that labor-aligned politicians need your help at the ballot box. We elect them so that they can help create legislation that protects us.

Turnout of sheer numbers are where we get our power. That is why we have good contracts, pay, and benefits. Because we stick together and always operate as one large group. So even though you may not be working on your specific contract, participation in all Teamster activities makes some member a recipient of a better life in our Teamster universe.

In January, our newly elected Executive Board took over Teamsters Local 853. We ran on the promise to involve members more in their Union and to provide more transparency about what events impact all of us. Our goal was to raise up all Teamsters 853 members by reaching out to our members and asking them to take their Union back. So we invested in our web, social media, and communications platforms to reach out more easily to you, our members. We made all communications available in Spanish to better communicate with the 30% of our members who prefer Spanish. We requested that your Business Agents become more involved with integrating communications of activities and events during their visits to your workplace.

And what we saw this year was nothing short of phenomenal. When we reached out to you, you reached back out to us and each other and participated like never before. You turned up, and you showed up. We had seven(7) times as many members show up for monthly meetings compared to the average last year. We had hundreds and hundreds of members turn out for pickets and rallies for every Teamster cause around the Bay Area. And some of those causes were not just local but also to the benefit of Teamsters nationwide. You donated to the Amazon strikers so that they could continue their work picketing nationally, and many members signed up and contributed to Drive, the Teamster’s Political Action Committee. You showed up at our member appreciation day, helped with the UPS contract practice strike, and participated in Boycotts and many other activities.

In short, you are taking back Teamsters Local 853 and are making us stronger and more successful. We applaud you and challenge you to participate even more in 2024. Let’s do this together and knock it out of the park in 2024. For all the Teamster 853 members who came before us and for you and future members to come. 💪🏽💪🏽💪🏽 Teamsters Strong!!!

In Union,

Steve Beck, Steven Lua, and the entire Staff and Teamsters Local 853

Below are just a few of the many events and programs that made us stronger this year.

This week, votes were tallied to ratify the first-ever Oakland Zoo Zoo Keepers agreement between Local 853 & the zoo. The results were overwhelming; as a matter of fact, the vote was nearly unanimous to accept the agreement!

The union looks forward to representing our new members at Oakland’s premier institution. Local 853 would like to recognize the efforts of the leadership committee, particularly the negotiating committee (Stacie Picone, Madison Brandon, and Ashley Xiong), and the unflagging determination and support of the members.

This collective bargaining agreement is a great Christmas present for all involved, delivered Teamster style!

Our monthly member meeting for December is this Thursday, December 14th, at 7 PM. Show up and participate in the events and decisions that affect your Union and workplace.

Time: Doors Close at 7 PM(usually 30-60 min. long)
Where: Teamsters Local Union 853, 7750 Pardee Lane
Oakland, California 94621 - Phone: 510-895-8853

Unions and politics go hand-in-hand. Without legislators (Elected Officials) to make laws to protect working people, our Union efforts would be very difficult to maintain. Unions are outspent 15 to 1 by big businesses trying to marginalize Union protections. Their goal is always to weaken laws so they can get more profits by squeezing their workforce.

But our secret weapon is our votes and numbers. Every year, Unions work with politicians to make laws protecting workers’ rights and preventing worker exploitation.

One avenue that Teamsters Local 853 uses to this end is participation in the COPE Conventions (Committee on Political Education), where labor-related organizations from around the Bay Area assemble and decide how to combine efforts best to further labor-related agendas in politics.

This COPE convention was held last week in Oakland, and one of the agenda items was to determine what politicians Labor will be endorsing for the upcoming Primary Elections in 2024.

So, our message to you, sisters and brothers, is to be active in your union and be aware of the politicians who protect workers in your community. Most importantly, be sure to GET OUT AND VOTE for those politicians both during the primary elections in 2024 and the general election. Without your vote, those politicians cannot help us.

Please stay tuned and watch this space as we will be releasing our political endorsements for 2024.

Pictured at the COPE Convention are Teamsters 853 Recording Secretary and Business Agent Mike Henneberry, Business Agent Cesar Martinez, Business Agent Efren Alarcon, and not pictured but present is Business Agent James Long.

After eleven and a half months of negotiations, zoo keepers at the Oakland Zoo signed off on the first union contract ever at the venerable institution. Amazingly, since its founding over one hundred years ago, the workers at the East Bay landmark have been non-union.

Organized last Summer, negotiations began under Local 853’s new administration in January. Talks were initially somewhat rocky, but the parties established a rapport based on mutual trust and respect, knowing that this was the only way to reach an agreement that would benefit the workers and the zoo. The result is arguably one of the finest contracts in the nation for zoo keepers.

The hard work of the membership, the bargaining committee, and the leadership committee was key to bringing the contract home. The agreement will be voted on before the first of the year with the enthusiastic and unanimous support of the negotiating and leadership committees.

Pictured above (l-r) are Oakland Zoo CEO Nik Dehejia, bargaining committee member Ashley Xiong, bargaining committee member Stacie Piccone, bargaining committee member Madison Brandon, BJ Allen People & Culture, Michelle Myers VP People & Culture, Teamsters Local 853 Recording Secretary & Business Agent Mike Henneberry. Not pictured (but there in spirit) is Oakland Zoo Board Member & bargaining committee member Steve Kane.   

1500 Teamster members from Local 100 in Northern Kentucky and Ohio who work for CVG DHL voted to Unionize earlier in the year. Since then, DHL has chosen not to negotiate in good faith, which has resulted in these workers voting nearly unanimously to strike.

Subsequently, today, December 6th, we have been informed that DHL management has held captive audience meetings at both Sunnyvale and Watsonville DHL in an attempt to dissuade these workers from supporting the CVG DHL members out of solidarity. The members, however, were not phased by the scare tactic language at these meetings and are ready to do whatever is necessary to support Teamster Local 100 Members at CVG DHL.

Stay strong, don’t let up, and get that contract!! 💪🏽💪🏽💪🏽

Teamster Local 853 members at the SF Unified and members of the Crafts Coalition (ten locals including Carpenters, Machinists, Painters, and six other trades coordinated by the Building Trades Council) forced the district to do the right thing and pay up what they’ve owed the members for a long time.

Two years of dysfunction and non-payment were resolved after a weekend of crisis bargaining avoiding a strike set for Monday, December 4.

The members met at 6 am and then met with the superintendent. The Superintendent publicly acknowledged that all monies owed would be paid.

💪🏽💪🏽💪🏽 Union solidarity and Teamster muscle resolved a situation that had been festering for way too long.

Pictured left to right are SFUSD Teamsters Dennis Cruz (Shop Steward), Thadius Sparks, Paul Brennan & Miguel Segura.

Sisters and brothers, read about current events that impact your work and your workplace. Learn about healthcare, retirement, scholarships, member discounts, paid leave, workers’ compensation, retirement, and many more items.

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En Unión,

Steve Beck, Steven Lua and the entire Teamsters 853 Staff