Eric Wright calls himself a “jack of all trades and master of none,” but after 24 years of working for the City of Hercules as a Maintenance II lead worker, he’s really a renaissance man with a wealth of skills who has a strong dedication toward achieving his job duties.
Wright works with an 8-person maintenance crew and they take care of the parks, trees, irrigation, concrete, roads, and basically whatever needs maintenance and repair.
Keep reading
(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 yet another devastating mass shooting that has snatched the lives of working people in the course of their day.
Keep reading
The Ten Point Commentary
(Sung to the tune of A Horse With No Name, by America.)
I drive through the city on a car with no name
Giving space, visibility.
Safe by choice is not by chance…A way to be accident free.
La la, etc.
This is one of several songs that Matthew Whaley wrote to promote safety for the drivers at UPS when he served as co-chair of the safety committee.
Keep reading
Merritt Billington has worked at UPS for about 25 years; a career he started when he was 18 years old. He delivers packages in the city of Gilroy for UPS and serves as the Local 853’s chief shop steward at the Morgan Hill Center in San Jose. He makes 150-190 deliveries each day — a workload that’s up by about 25% since COVID started.
For most of his career at UPS, Billington was an active member with Local 287.
Keep reading
Ricardo Barba has been a dedicated driver for Recology for 30 years. His career began in 1990 with Recology Golden Gate; he then transferred to Recology Sunset in 1996. For the majority of his career, Ricardo has proudly serviced San Francisco’s Mission neighborhood.
“This career isn’t just about being a Garbage Truck driver; it’s about being an essential part of the community and servicing others. Waking up early or staying late at work is worth it,
Keep reading
Joseph Gomes has worked at South Bay Recycling for more than 34 years. He currently works as the transfer station’s heavy equipment operator, and also serves as the unit’s shop steward. “I like operating equipment. I also enjoy my position as the shop steward because I work with great guys and I like working for an organization that helps protect its workers’ rights,” he says with pride.
Aside from being both a proud member and shop steward,
Keep reading
With 53 years of union membership under his belt, Miguel Gonzalez is currently one of the most tenured members at Teamsters Local 350.
His story begins back in 1951 in Mezcala, a small town in Jalisco, Mexico. When he was 16, Miguel immigrated to the U.S. His career in the garbage industry began with the Daly City Scavengers on September 8, 1967. When he learned from his cousin that the wages at South San Francisco Scavengers were much higher,
Keep reading
The Teamster 665 campaign for AAA agents shifted into high gear with an April 24 rally in front of San Francisco’s City Hall that drew hundreds of workers, their families, and Teamster members from around Northern California.
Between chants of “AAA – TEAMSTERS!” from the crowd of supporters, state and local elected officials stepped up to the microphone to offer encouragement to the 460 AAA workers who are preparing for an NLRB election scheduled for May 14.
Keep reading
2021 AMJ Teamster W
Keep reading
On March 11, President Biden signed into law the “American Rescue Plan Act,” to spark the recovery of the economy from the COVID pandemic. There’s a lot in the $1.9 trillion Act, but the changes described below are things you and your family should know about because they mean money in your pocket.
FREE COBRA
COBRA is the law that allows you to pay to continue your health plan when your employer no longer has to pay on your behalf.
Keep reading