2019 JAS Teamster COLOR for Web
Keep readingJuly/August/September Teamster News
July 1, 2019
Author: Joint Council 7
Recology drivers are ready to strike, if necessary
Solidarity is a word that you’ll usually see in any article pertaining to labor. Solidarity is a powerful word that resonates throughout the labor movement. But the ultimate form of solidarity occurs when members rally around their fellow brothers and sisters to flex the power of brotherhood. On May 16, 145 members of Teamsters Local 350, who work for Recology San Mateo, did just that by voting unanimously to approve strike sanction.
The negotiating committee,
Keep readingBack pay won for newly-organized members
On November 1, 2018, Local 137 won the election to represent 32 employees of AccentCare Home Health of California. The bargaining unit consists of in-home health care providers and clerical staff.
“Shortly after we won the election, we learned that the company had stopped paying employees for ‘Windshield Time’,” which Business Agent Kim Carelli described as an additional stipend paid based on the number of miles driven per day to care for patients.
Keep readingBig win at the Clift Hotel in San Francisco
Teamsters 856 member, Chelsey Yu is a front desk agent at the Clift Hotel in San Francisco. Last year, she gave birth to her daughter and began her maternity leave. A few months later, she received a letter from the Clift stating she had exhausted her protected leave and her health and welfare benefits would no longer be covered.
Based on a clear and established past practice and contract language, Chelsey knew she should have been able to use her sick leave and vacation hours to meet the minimum 80 hours she needed each month to qualify for her collectively bargained health benefits.
Keep reading87-year old Teamster retiree volunteers with the homeless
What will you be doing when you retire? Fishing? Playing with the grandkids?
If you’re Earl Randall, a member of Local 70 for 42 years, you’ll be volunteering to help the homeless people in your community, even as you approach age 88.
Earl has a long history with the Teamsters. He was an officer for 13 years, served as a Trustee, was the Warden for Joint Council 7, and worked for the Western Conference of Teamsters for a spell.
Keep readingGetting a family member into rehab
The decision to send a family member or loved one to rehab for drug or alcohol addiction is never an easy one. The family may have many fears and concerns about rehab itself, about the process of finding a rehab and about getting the person into treatment. Both TAP and TARP have trained professionals in substance abuse assessment and referral who can assist by providing information about the types of substance abuse treatment available, the cost of treatment,
Keep readingIndependent Contractor Laws: California Sides With Workers While NLRB Backs Big Tech
It has been over a year since California’s highest court sent shock waves through Silicon Valley, declaring what many considered the end of the “gig economy” in California. In Dynamex Operations West v. Lee, the Court dealt a crucial blow to Uber and Lyft and their business model based on classifying workers as “independent contractors.”
But since the Dynamex decision came down, both companies have gone public making wealthy stockholders even wealthier.
Keep readingPushing forth many important bills in the 2019 legislative session
We’ve made it halfway through this year’s Legislative session and we continue to move our agenda here in California despite significant pushback from the Trump Administration.
First, Trump and his Labor Department have moved to take away meal and rest breaks from truck drivers. Then, they tried to take away funding for High Speed Rail. They recently declared “gig” workers, such as Uber drivers, independent contractors and are now going after meal and rest breaks away for bus drivers.
Keep readingCalifornia Teamsters take on Sacramento to call for end to worker misclassification
April 3, 2019
Teamsters from more than 15 local unions within California Joint Councils 7 and 42 took part in a hearing and lobby day in Sacramento in support of legislation to help end misclassification. The Lobby Day was sponsored by the California Labor Federation.
In April, the California Supreme Court’s landmark decision in Dynamex Operations West, Inc. vs Superior Court of Los Angeles, referred to as “Dynamex,” simplified the test for determining whether a worker is classified as an employee for minimum wage and overtime protections.
Keep readingBento (Ben) Leal
1926-2019
We are sad to announce the passing of Ben Leal, who died only a few days after suffering a stroke,
Born on a dairy farm in Newark, CA, Leal proudly served in the U.S. Navy in WWII, and spent most of his professional life as an organizer and leader in the Teamsters union.
Ben started his career with the Teamsters in 1956 as an organizer. In addition to serving as Secretary-Treasurer and Principal Officer of Local 856 from 1982-1994,
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