The 40 drivers and mechanics at GreenWaste of Palo Alto in Santa Clara voted overwhelmingly in November to become Teamsters. This group will join the thousands of waste workers throughout the Bay Area already represented by Local 350.

“Ever since I started working for this company, I felt we needed representation. Everyone around us was doing better, with support, protection, and contracts, because they were Teamsters. It’s been a long time coming, but I’m proud that our unit stood strong to make this life-changing decision,” said Ricardo Hernandez,

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Locals 431 and 386 have negotiated for several months with Sysco Foods.  On Sunday, December 11, 2022, the Local presented the company’s most recent proposal to the Sysco employees.  Although the proposal was fair, Local 431 still feels that significant improvements are needed to wages, benefits, seniority, and the right to grieve procedures before recommending and securing the contract.  

“We have every reason to believe that Sysco has more to offer to their employees and we intend to bargain a better deal for our members,” said Mike Pratt,

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A Local 533 steward, Christina Phoenix, had an opportunity to speak to More Perfect Union videographers about excessive overtime at UPS. 

“The Local is very proud of Christina for standing up and speaking for her fellow brothers and sisters,” says Secretary-Treasurer Debbie Calkins. “It’s not easy to speak about this on camera, as UPS has a tendency to target members who put themselves out in the media like she did. But,

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Teamsters Local 856 members of West Contra Costa County Unified School District (WCCUSD) have overwhelmingly ratified a new two-year contract that includes significant wage increases and market rate adjustments for overlooked classifications to combat high vacancy rates.  

The victory comes after over six months of grueling negotiations, which included numerous actions, including a rally at the WCCUSD Board of Education meeting, where large crowds of WCCUSD members showed up in full Teamster colors demanding a fair contract.

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Teamsters employed at Recology­— Sonoma County’s largest solid waste and recycling company—ratified a new five-year collective bargaining agreement by a more than two-to-one margin, after sending back a previous management offer members deemed as unfair and substandard.

“These men and women performed as an essential workforce during the pandemic,” stated Local 665 President Mike Yates. “They knew it was time to be recognized for the important work that they do, and that includes economic improvements that adequately support working families.” 

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The University of the Pacific’s August move-in weekend for the 2022-23 school year saw a throng of students, parents, and university staff. Amid the shuffling of boxes and retrieving of room keys, sheets of neon green paper were handed out to students by Pacific’s Physical Plant workers. The flier explained that a strike was imminent unless Pacific signed a contract with Teamsters Local 439 giving the workers higher pay.

According to Principal Officer Sal Lomeli,

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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 to negotiating their first union contract.

“These workers demonstrated tremendous courage so they can get a contract that addresses the issues they care about – respect,

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