“Watching my dad work as a garbage man since I was four years old and loving his job inspired me to follow in his footsteps,” says Pedro Ponce about his father, Toribio Ponce.
The Solid Waste and Recycling industry is one of those unique industries that can span generations within families—fathers working with sons, nephews/nieces working with uncles, cousins working with cousins. It becomes a proud family affair of hard-working men and women who help serve their community,
Keep readingIn March, San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera announced a $100 million settlement to be paid by Recology to its ratepayers in connection to an ongoing investigation into alleged corruption committed by former Director of the Department of Public Works, Mohammed Nuru. The following is an official statement from Teamsters Local Union 350 Secretary-Treasurer John Bouchard on the settlement.
“Teamsters Local 350 is proud of the work our members do at Recology to help protect public health and keep our city beautiful,” he said.
Keep readingClerical workers unite
On August 17, 2020, in a mail ballot, the clerical unit at the Republic Services Ox Mountain Landfill in Half Moon Bay had their ballots counted, and by a vote of 2-0, these new members said “YES!” to join their new brothers and sisters at Teamsters Local 350.
“Whether it’s organizing two new members or 2,000 members, they are all important, and any organizing victory is a big win for labor,” said Business Representative Robert Sandoval.
Keep readingOn May 14, the members of Recology San Bruno voted overwhelmingly to ratify their contract and close the deal on a long, hard-fought negotiation.
The five-year deal ensures that the 28-member unit receives significant increases in wages and pension that will bring them to the area standard. This unit is comprised of semi-drivers, garbage and recycling drivers, mechanics, and loader operators who operate the San Bruno Transfer Station in addition to providing essential services to the residential and commercial community in the City of San Bruno.
Keep readingOn May 27, the six clerical workers who work at the BFI Newby Island Landfill in Milpitas voted unanimously to join their brothers and sisters at Local 350.
Due to the pandemic, the process to unionize this group was unlike typical organizing efforts.
“This was an interesting campaign to say the least,” said Local 350 President Sergio Arrañga. “Union representatives did not have the ability to meet with workers face to face,
Keep readingAaron Meier empties about 800 garbage cans every day, rain or shine. He first caught the world’s attention with a series of tweets in mid-March as Americans were just beginning to come to terms with the pandemic and what it would mean for their livelihoods.
“I’m a garbageman, I can’t work from home and my job is an essential city service that must get done,” tweeted Meier, a Local 350 member who works for Recology Sunset in San Francisco.
Keep readingAfter months of negotiations and nation-wide actions against the Republic Services, Teamsters Local 350 members at Allied Waste Services of Santa Clara voted unanimously to ratify a new five-year contract. Among the various improvements were substantial increases in wages and pension contributions, full maintenance of benefits, and the protection of adequate staffing levels that Republic Services sought to eliminate.
The group of 87 drivers and mechanics work out of the Newby Island Resource Recovery Park,
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On July 18, 2019, Teamsters Local 350 members employed by the City of Los Altos unanimously voted in favor of a new three-year Memorandum of Understanding.
“This contract provides the security and advancement our members sought for the next three years,” said Local 350 Recording Secretary and lead negotiator Juan Coca. “This lucrative M.O.U. provides more than just an increase in wages; it delivers full health care coverage, a path to enhancing the retiree benefits and recognition for our unit’s efforts in the form of incentive pay.”
The men and women of this unit provide a broad spectrum of services throughout the City of Los Altos,
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Fight Together, Win Together. Teamsters Local 350 slogan was never more evident throughout the entire process with the Recology San Mateo Drivers unit. On July 2, 2019, members of the Recology San Mateo Drivers unit voted in an overwhelming fashion to approve a new contract.
Starting from the proposal meeting, the negotiating committee had a clear objective going into bargaining with Recology San Mateo. After several months, and minor movement from the company,
Keep readingSolidarity 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,
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