What Happened Around the Local

What happens when you have a motivated workforce, a solid organizing team, and connections with local politicians? The workers at the Oakland Zoo just found out when they voted on September 30 by a four-to-one margin to unionize. Teamsters Local 853 is proud to welcome the 55+ zookeepers at the Oakland Zoo and looks forward […]

In our largest drive-thru membership appreciation event yet, more than 800 members came by Local 853’s offices in Oakland (Oct. 29), San Jose, and Watsonville (Oct. 30). They filled out a card to enter the raffle and collected a Local 853 long-sleeved t-shirt. The Local has held this event since 1993, but until the pandemic […]

Getting a union is not easy, as the 50 workers who run the mail room for Meta, the parent company of Facebook, will attest. They work for a contractor called Canon Business Services. Back in the fall of 2021, they contacted Local 853 determined to gain union representation because, according to Business Rep Pablo Barrera, […]

When Local 853 chose its winner of the 2022 Harry Polland/Bob Morales Joint Council 7 Scholarship, they didn’t realize how much that choice was a family affair. Nathan Sanchez, the winner, is the son of Paul Sanchez, who has worked at Southern Glaziers Wine and Spirits in Union City for almost 15 years, the last […]

There’s an old saying in the union world: 10% of the members take up 90% of the time of business reps. It’s always the squeaky wheel who gets the attention and not often does the union hear from members about the good job their doing. So, when Business Rep Stu Helfer opened his email and […]

When Hallcon, a contractor that runs commuter shuttle buses for the tech industry, terminated a driver for falsification of records, the union fought back—and won! Hallcon had fired a member for not showing up for work one day, but the union disputed that very fact. The company had stopped having members use the electronic timeclock […]

On June 30, the Supreme Court refused to hear a case. As a result, AB5 is the law of the land. Huh??? By setting out a clear definition of who should be an “employee” and who can be an “independent contractor,” AB5 is the law written to rein in the growing “gig” economy. Local 853 […]

Business Rep Steven Lua reports that in December, Watsonville Community Hospital filed for bankruptcy. If this, the only hospital in Watsonville, were to close, it would be devastating not only for the 55 Teamsters who work in the business department, but for the entire community. Lua and the Teamsters sprang into action. Working with Joint […]

Sadly, the big Anheuser Busch (AB) distribution facility in Oakland got sold and suddenly closed in July with minimal notice. Local 853 represented 113 drivers, warehouse workers, draft technicians, merchandisers, and salesmen at that facility. “We only had about two weeks\’ notice, which, besides being terrible for our members, didn’t even meet legal requirements,” says Business Agent […]

Teamsters Local 665 has been working to organize the workers of Amy’s Kitchen in Santa Rosa for many months. Unite HERE was working on an organizing drive with the San Jose group. Suddenly, on July 18, with no warning, the company closed the manufacturing operations at its San Jose facility effective immediately. Upon hearing the […]

On June 8 and July 6, Local 853 brought its barbeque to Watsonville and Santa Cruz literally to serve the members! The Local held BBQs at Watsonville Hospital, where about 24 members came out; the HA Rider bottling plant, where they fed 50 members, and at Driscoll’s (Fruit & Vegetable Growers, Packers & Shippers), which […]

About 35 drivers who work for Premier Recycling in San Jose voted Union Yes in May. These drivers drop off and pick-up recycling bins at construction sites. “This was a dog fight,” says Business Rep Pablo Barrera. “The company brought three union busters to the worksite—and they’re still there. But we still won the election […]

For too many years, the shuttle drivers and cashiers at area parking lots settled for too little, and new Business Rep Mike Fritz not only aims to change that — he already has. “We need to ensure that these members start getting paid what they’re worth—especially given the health hazards that so many of them […]

After a week-long strike, about 4,800 nurses with the independent union CRONA (Committee for Recognition Of Nursing Achievement) at Stanford Health Care and Stanford Children’s Health in Palo Alto, CA won a significant raise over three years. Not only did Senator Alex Padilla turn up on April 29 for a major rally to support the […]

It\’s not new news to hear that union multi-employer pension plans had been hit hard due to a combination of factors including changing industries and the 2008 stock market crash. While unions fought for years to get congress to support our plans as they had already supported single-employer plays, this effort had gone nowhere. Until […]

The 50 Hayward Unified school bus drivers who work with special needs kids ratified a new contract with Storer in January and it’s the best these drivers have ever seen. “This was essentially a new contract,” explains Business Rep Tracy Kelley. Previously, Durham School Services held the contract with the Hayward schools. “But when Storer […]

If you have a child who\’s graduating from high school and can use some cash for college or vocational school, you\’ll want to apply for a Joint Council 7 Harry Polland/Bob Morales scholarship. Applicants are eligible for scholarships when their parent or legal guardian is a member in good standing of Teamsters Local 853. Criteria […]

April 23 saw a huge turnout of Teamsters Local 853 members, friends, and family at the San Jose Shark Tank — there to watch the Sharks beat the Chicago Blackhawks by 4-1. The day started with a pre-game BBQ at the Local\’s San Jose office. Two lucky members won signed Sharks jerseys. If you\’re a […]

The Teamsters\’ annual barbecue at Gillig had to be a 2-day event (held on April 18 and 19), due to the large number of members who work at the Livermore-based bus manufacturer (over 550!) Business Reps Steve Beck and Scott Gonsalves trucked out the Local\’s barbecue and prepared hamburgers and hot dogs for as many […]

Business Rep and Chair of the Northern California Construction Committee Stu Helfer reports that the Northern California Teamsters Heavy, Highway, Building and Construction Committee settled their third-year allocation that increased wages and benefits by a total of $2.25 per hour. \”Over the 3-year life of this agreement, we saw wages increase by 11.67%; pension increase […]

By a vote of 44 to 1, the members who make all of the Eggo Waffles sold west of the Mississippi went into their contract negotiations with a strike authorization at the ready. The vote took place at a proposal meeting held on January 22 at Teamsters Local 853\’s San Jose office. \”We\’re tired of […]

It may have taken over a year and a half, but the thousands of members across California who do sales for Southern Glazer Wine & Spirits & RNDC (formerly known as Young’s Market) ratified their richest contract to date. Local 853 alone has about 684 workers under this contract who received huge wage increases, full […]

After working at UPS for 21 years, one member didn’t feel that he should have been fired for doing what other workers around him routinely did. And neither did his Business Rep, who took up the case and got him his job back. “They told me I couldn’t play music, even though we were allowed […]

The 33 driver/warehouse workers at JDRC (formerly known as River Cannabis), with locations and deliveries to dispensaries across California, unanimously ratified their new three-year contract in January. \”The negotiations went well,\” says Business Rep Steve Beck. \”Things got tense at times, as all negotiations do, but calmer minds prevailed,\” Beck added, saying that this is a […]

They say the third time is the charm, and for the members at Genesis Logistics, it took three contract offers before they finally ratified their new 18-month contract on February 16, 2022. Genesis Logistics is a Third-Party contractor that delivers to 7-11 stores from Fresno to Yuba City. Local 853 represents about 60 drivers and […]

The nine Teamsters who work at adhesive-manufacturer Henkel in Berkeley ratified their new four-year contract on February 15, and Business Rep Stu Helfer reports that it may be the best contract they\’ve ever had. While the company wanted to pull this group out of the Teamster health and welfare plan and move them to the […]