California Teamsters Hispanic Caucus Scholarships Available
CALIFORNIA TEAMSTERS HISPANIC CAUCUS WILL AWARD SCHOLARSHIPS TO … Deserving High School Seniors Graduating this year, Who are: A Daughter or Son of an active […]
Business Agent training focuses on involving more and more members to strengthen our Union
Teamsters Local 853 held a mandatory half-day training for all Business Agents. A shout out to IBT Strategic Campaign Coordinator and Teamster 853 Member, […]
The final chapter closes on ULP charges against Premier Recycling
When an organized group wins a ruling of Unfair Labor Practices(ULP) as the members at Premier Recycling did, by federal law, the company must […]
Ferguson HVAC Teamsters ratify contract at 100%
The members at Ferguson HVAC had something to celebrate last week as they finished contract negotiations with significant wage increases, significant pension increases, better […]
Teamsters Local 853 welcomes Center for Community Advocacy to our Teamster 853 Family
One of the incredible things about Teamsters Local 853 is its diversity. We have over 300 different companies that we contract with. There are […]
Advocates at Latinas Contra Cancer Join Teamsters Local 853
Workers who guide women battling cancer have won a significant victory for themselves. On April 17th, fifteen employees at Latinas Contra Cancer (Latinas Against […]
Steve Beck, Teamsters 853 Pricipal officer addressed Teamsters from across the country about the challenges facing the liquor industry
During the Unity Conference, Steve Beck, Principal Officer of Local 853 and IBT representative, addressed Teamsters from across the country about the challenges facing […]
Bus Drivers at Zum School Services-Alameda, Join Teamsters Local 853
Bus drivers at Zum School Services in Alameda—previously a non-union group—have officially joined the Teamster family through their unionized counterparts at Zum in Oakland. […]
UNFI Ratified historic contract with Union healthcare and pension!!! Just weeks after collecting 1.3 Million in back Pay.
Drivers at UNFI Gilroy have just secured a historic contract with the company. And just weeks after forty-two(42) UNFI Teamster members secured 1.3 million […]
Yellow Freight Bankruptcy Update – March 4th, 2025
Yellow Freight Teamsters Members, here is the latest update published by the IBT regarding the bankruptcy.
US Foods Drivers End Strike – Secures Industry Leading Contract for Food Service industry
Teamsters Local 853 is excited to announce the end of the US Foods strike in Livermore, where a proposal was just voted on and […]
THESE 177 NEW TEAMSTERS AT US FOODS ARE ON STRIKE, CAN YOU SUPPORT THEM?
Deciding to go on Strike is somewhat like going to war and should never be taken lightly. Every exhaustible position must be tried between […]
Teamsters Local 912, now 853, was the center of the Universe in the 1980s during the Watsonville Strike – watch the Movie, March 8th
Sisters and Brothers, During a time when Ronald Reagan broke the back of the Air Traffic Controllers, Union work and protections was heavily debated. […]
Genesis Logistics Members stand Unified as contract vote comes in at a perfect 100%
Teamsters at Genesis Logistics have just ratified their new three-year contract. These warehouse workers and drivers have the task of keeping all of the […]
What Does the Union Do For Me Anyway?
These are drivers from Mosaic Global Transportation and inter-campus drivers from Meta. Due to the way the corporation has set up its business to […]
Yellow Freight Bankruptcy Update – February 11th, 2025
Yellow Freight Teamsters Members, here is the latest update published by the IBT regarding the bankruptcy.
VISTAR DRIVERS, Welcome to Teamsters Local 853
VISTAR Brothers,My name is Steve Beck, I am the secretary-treasurer and Principal Officer at Teamsters Local 853. I am responsible for leading Teamsters Local […]
Yellow Freight Bankruptcy Update – January 29th, 2025
Yellow Freight Teamsters Members, here is the latest update published by the IBT regarding the bankruptcy.
Teamsters at Bimbo Bakeries, Castroville, in negotiatins for their next contract
Pictured here are just a few of the outstanding Teamsters 853 from Bimbo Bakeries Castroville. Led by Chief Steward Louis, this group is coordinating […]
VISTAR Drivers Vote Overwhelmingly to Join Teamsters Local 853
To all Teamster 853 members, Please join us in welcoming our newest members, who just today voted to join our ranks. These 29 drivers […]
Suspected Faulty Computers Shortchange Teamster Commissions at the Coliseum in Oakland
Seven Teamsters working for The Mandate Company who run concessions at the Oakland Coliseum recently disputed their wage calculations. The source of the error […]
Mass killing in San Jose is just too close
(May 26, 2021) This morning, a gunman killed eight Valley Transportation Agency (VTA) workers and himself at a union meeting of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 265 in San Jose. Teamsters Local 853 also has members who subcontract to the VTA. The following is a statement by Teamsters Joint Council 7 President Rome Aloise: “Fortunately, our members were safe from this horrific event. However, this is […]
Read MoreVaccines enable us to move past the pandemic
By Rome Aloise — We have all been dealing with the effects of COVID-19 for over a year now. The pandemic has had a devastating effect on many of our members and their families, with a number of our members passing away due to the virus. Many of our workplaces have been affected adversely and many members […]
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853 comes out in solidarity
Local 853 members who work at UPS gathered at the San Jose Giant\’s Stadium to stand in solidarity with insurance salespeople who work for AAA Insurance and are seeking union representation. According to Local 853 Busines Rep Johnny Gallegos, \”the company bought out the stadium to union-bust.\” Local 665 launched its organizing drive with the […]
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Best contract yet at Westrock
In March, the 25 members who work at Westrock, a paper and packaging company in Milpitas, unanimously ratified their first successor contract since the merger with Local 853 took place. The four-year agreement is reputed to be the best these shipping and receiving have ever approved. “The negotiating team fought long and hard with the employer to stay […]
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Teamster drivers bring community to vaccine clinic
Delivering vaccinations to low-income people has been one of the greatest challenges for public health leaders. Not only are these community members at greater risk of getting COVID, but they’re also less likely than the general population to have either online access to make appointments or the transportation to get to clinic sites. Starting on […]
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Local urges members to get vaccinated
We have all been dealing with the effects of COVID-19 for over a year now. The pandemic has had a devastating effect on many of our members and their families, with a number of our members passing away due to the virus. Many of our workplaces have been affected adversely and many of our members have suffered layoffs […]
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Standing up for Safety
On April 19, Local 853 members who work at UPS joined union members across the state in Sacramento to call on elected leaders to support AB 701, introduced by Assemblymember Lorena Gonzalez (D-San Diego). This bill develops a warehousing policy aimed at decreasing worker injury and making transparent the debilitating quotas set by giant corporations, […]
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Counting votes over zoom
The pandemic has changed how many union processes are conducted, including elections and vote counting. On March 29, Business Rep Mike Henneberry and Chief Steward Vanessa Wadley counted the ballots that members who work at Zenith Administrators in Alameda submitted on the issue of restructuring and strengthening their pension plan. But this time, they did […]
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Rally for Teamster jobs postponed…for now
At a time when Netflix has raked in $25 billion in revenues, up $5 billion from the previous year, the company is changing bus contractors, which may result in up to 29 Local 853 drivers losing their jobs and a lowering of wages for the replacement drivers. Local 853 is in talks with Netflix and […]
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Polland/Morales Scholarship—Deadline July 1
Please see the link below for information about the Joint Council 7 Scholarship Program. Scholarships are available to the children and grandchildren of active Local 853 members who are in good standing and will be based on a combination of academic achievement, school and community service, and financial need. In addition to completing the application […]
Read MoreLocal\’s Union Hall becomes vaccine clinic for a day
Local 853’s Oakland union hall was turned into a vaccine clinic on Saturday, March 27. The Alameda County Central Labor Council, a co-tenant in our building, brought together their affiliated unions to do outreach to their members. In all, 430 union members were excited to get the Johnson & Johnson “one and done” vaccine. “This […]
Read MorePresident makes forceful statement in support of union representation; Teamsters respond with pride and hope
In a remarkable video statement supporting the right of workers to join unions, recorded on February 28, President Biden has completely upended not only his predecessor but almost every president over the last century. The statement was released as nearly 6,000 workers at an Amazon warehouse in Alabama are voting in a union representation election. […]
Read MoreAfter push by union, paratransit drivers are deemed \”first responders\” – eligible for COVID vaccine
Since the pandemic began, paratransit drivers who transport the sick, the elderly, and the disabled in small buses have been at great risk for COVID. After a plea from Teamsters Union and the San Francisco paratransit company TransDev, the City and County of San Francisco agreed that these workers should be considered “first responders” and […]
Read MoreUsing PLAs to get work at SFO
The concrete work at the San Francisco International Airport (SFO) is covered under a Project Labor Agreement (PLA). “Unions work hard to get PLAs on big projects because they create a level playing field for wage rates,” says Business Rep Stu Helfer. “It means that non-local companies can’t come to the expensive Bay Area and […]
Read MoreHoffa Scholarships available now for high school seniors
Deadline: Extended to March 8, 2021 The deadline for this year\’s James R. Hoffa Memorial Scholarship Fund (JRHMSF) Academic and Vocational/Training Program scholarship applications is now March 8. The fund looks forward to a record number of applications from high school seniors who are the sons, daughters, or financial dependents of Teamster members. The scholarship […]
Read MoreEssential workers keep working through pandemic, but nearly 20% of membership is not
When the pandemic struck in March, the entire economy came to a screeching halt. Travel, hospitality, sports and the arts were the first to shutter. But it was clear that not everything could stop. People needed food, health care, and a variety of services and somebody needed to do that work. Often, those somebodies were […]
Read MoreConcrete drivers step up for a co-worker in need
When Jorge Vasquez got cancer, he didn’t want it to stop his daily work routine, because he’s the sole supporter for his wife and son. Business Rep Eddie Venancio reports that Jorge continued to work at Westside Building Supply in San Jose while he was getting chemo treatments. But when Shop Steward Jonathan Pinney, who […]
Read MoreLooking forward to a better new year
By Rome Aloise — With only a little bit of hesitation, I will say that I am happy this year is finally coming to an end. For all of us, 2020 has been quite a hardship—with new and constant threats to our members and your families. We do have something good to look forward to […]
Read MoreMembership appreciation event continues—pandemic style!
For the past 25 years, Local 853 has held an annual Membership Appreciation event that included breakfast, door prizes, a huge raffle, convenient flu shots, and the opportunity to hear about the State of the Union. Back when it started, the event attracted a few hundred members. Over the years it has grown to bring […]
Read MoreSF Street Sweepers win big grievances
Business Rep Dan Harrington reports that he won two separate grievances for some San Francisco street sweepers. In the first case, he was able to overturn a 5-day suspension through expedited arbitration, and the member, Annie Romero, got a back pay check covering all five days. In this case, Romero was suspended for participating in […]
Read MoreVote as if your future depends on it – it does!
By Rome Aloise — You should already have received your 2020 ballot. If you haven’t yet voted, please do so as soon as you can. Use the Guide in this newsletter and see our local recommendations at teamstersjc7.org/endorsements. This edition of Connections is mostly about the election and your union’s recommendations for candidates and propositions. […]
Read MoreStatement on the death of George Floyd
From that momentous day in 1968 when Teamster President Jimmy Hoffa stood with Martin Luther King in support of the Memphis garbage strikers, the Teamsters Union has not only stood with Black leaders, but has fought to be all inclusive, making equal pay for equal work, regardless of race, creed, gender or sexual orientation, a […]
Read MoreUpdate on COVID-19 for all Teamster members
By Rome Aloise — We have put together a special edition of the Local 853 Connections to make sure you are getting information from your union that, given the current circumstances, is as helpful and timely as it can be. We are experiencing unprecedented and historic times. None of us have seen anything like this […]
Read MoreCOVID-19 Update
Important COVID-19 information from Secretary-Treasurer Rome Aloise Rome Aloise COVID statement Please read the statement linked above. The document includes important information from Beeson, Tayer & Bodine, our legal consultants, on your rights and responsibilities in the current crisis.
Read MoreCoronavirus: Resources & Info for Workers
Get the info you need from the California Labor Federation!
Read MoreThank You, Teamsters!
A Message from Local 853 Secretary-Treasurer Rome Aloise Local 853 members are in many cases working harder and longer to make sure the general public is taken care of during these trying times. Some work with the public like our Costco members, trying to help the public while they are hoarding toilet paper and getting […]
Read MoreLandmark settlements on key contracts
By DENNIS HART As we close the chapter on 2019, your Local is once again in the forefront of settling historic contracts and setting the highest standards for other Locals to meet. This past year, our Business Agents and Officers settled numerous contracts including: liquor, Costco, Busing, Pepsi Cola, the City and County of San Francisco, and many more. In the coming year, […]
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