Local 315

Liquor drivers ratify first contract

June 23, 2022
Local 315, Teamster News

After voting to unionize in 2021 by a vote of 17 to 1, the 25 drivers from Zephyr Express (Winebow) in Benicia unanimously ratified their first contract in March. These drivers deliver alcohol to grocery stores, BevMo stores, and other liquor retailers.

“We believe that the talks went smoothing precisely because of the resolve these drivers showed in demanding a union,” says Secretary-Treasurer Don E. Garcia. “And that resolve paid off. Their day one wage increases ranged from $2 per hour to $10.16 per hour. 

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Many firsts at TransDev Napa

March 30, 2022
Local 315, Teamster News

Joyful sounds of celebration rang throughout the Teamster Union Hall in Vallejo on Sunday, February 27 when the 78 members at Transdev Napa voted to ratify a five-year agreement, reports Business Agent Dustin Baumbach. 

Although this location has been under Teamster contract for decades, there were several “firsts” in this contract, Baumbach reports. “It was the first long and secure five-year agreement, and the first time these fixed-route drivers, paratransit drivers, and maintenance mechanics saw wage increases anywhere near these percentages.”  

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Concord Naval base project to be re-developed all union

December 17, 2021
Local 315, Teamster News

The City of Concord and the building trades unions reached an agreement in August for a project labor agreement under which they’ll redevelop the Concord Naval Weapons Base. This facility, originally a storage depot in World War II, was used for military staging up through the Gulf War before getting mothballed. It will soon become a new residential and commercial development with significant open space and parks projects built by a consortium of Discovery Builders,

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Helping a member displaced by fire

September 27, 2021
Local 315, Teamster News

On May 31, a fire started near an Antioch apartment building and quickly spread to a second building where Teamster Juan “JC” Jaurgui lives with his wife and two kids. JC is a Local 315 member who works at Mt. Diablo Resource Recovery as a solid waste driver.

According to NBC News, aggressive fire response stopped further spread of the fire, caused by fireworks, but 40 residents in eight apartment units were displaced.

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Trina Johnson – UPS Richmond (Local 315)

May 30, 2021
Local 315, Member Profiles

Trina Johnson has worked for UPS at the Bayside hub in Richmond for 21 years, and she loves her work and her union. “I’m a gal in brown. With the uniform that you wear, you’re proud. During the pandemic, when everyone was in shutdown, we were out there, bringing good things.”

Dealing with different people each day is one of the most interesting aspects of Trina’s job. “You bond with your customers. It’s like we’re all family.

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Greg Doench – UPS (Local 315)

May 28, 2021
Local 315, Member Profiles

For 36 years, Greg Doench has been a package car driver for UPS, first in Concord and then in Oakley. What he enjoys most about his work is being outside and being active.

“My job allows me to work in the city I grew up in and that I still reside in,” he says thinking about the residential route he’s had for the past 18 years. “I get to see a lot of people that I grew up with,

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Eric Wright – City of Hercules (Local 315)

Local 315, Member Profiles

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.

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Matthew Whaley – UPS (Local 315)

May 18, 2021
Local 315, Member Profiles

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.

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Important new benefit

March 16, 2021
Local 315, Teamster News

The 80 members at Napa Recycling and Waste Services recently ratified a new five-year contract with a valuable new benefit. For the first time in franchise history, the contract includes the Retirement Security Plan (RSP), fully covered by the employer. 

“Knowing that they will now have medical coverage after retirement, an overwhelming majority of ecstatic members ratified this contract,” says Business Agent Dustin Baumbach.  The contract also included increases in wages and pension as well as full maintenance of benefits for health and welfare.

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Member retires after 51 years at same company

December 21, 2020
Local 315, Teamster News
After 51 years, Salvador Ruvalcaba retires as a part-owner of R&K Industrial.

Salvador Ruvalcaba retired this year after 51 years of service at R & K Industrial Products. This manufacturing company, located in Richmond, makes industrial wheels for light-weight applications such as hand trucks and carts, to much heavier and demanding applications and accessories. The company has been employee-owned since 1977.

First hired in November 1969, Salvador worked in the Machine Shop. He has also been a steward in several negotiations. “Local 315 wishes Salvador a long,

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