Local 315

Drivers testify about autonomous vehicles

Drivers testified to the DMV at a January 27 hearing about their on-the-road concerns about the introduction of Autonomous Trucks without human drivers. Powerful stuff. This is not only about safety on the road for Teamster drivers and the driving public, it’s also about the future of good driving jobs in this country. Thanks to Assembly Member Cecilia Curry-Aguiar and Tom Lackey for introducing AB316; this bill will ensure that all vehicles over 10,000 pounds have a human operator.… Read more »

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Long talks with Republic finally completed

It might have taken ten months, with the union soliciting support from local city officials while simultaneously filing charges of unfair labor practices through the Labor Board, but Local 315 business reps and members who work at Republic Services in Richmond finally have a contract.

The agreement includes strengthening seniority provisions and adding a bi-monthly scheduled arbitrator within the grievance language who will hear and protect the members’ rights for years to come.

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Liquor drivers ratify first contract

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

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

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

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)

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)

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)

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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