The San Francisco Board of Supervisors officially declared October 26, 2021, to be Teamsters Local 350 Day. Labor leaders, elected officials, and members gathered in front of the Joint Council 7 truck with San Francisco City Hall as the backdrop to commemorate the 85th anniversary of the Local and to honor its dedicated members with a city proclamation.
“The City is honoring Local 350 today, but what that really means is we’re honoring you – you guys are Local 350,
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On October 22, 2021, the eight-person Recology South Valley Organics unit located in Gilroy, CA voted unanimously to join Teamsters Local 350.
“Organize, Organize, Organize – that’s been the rallying cry of the Teamsters organization and a number one priority for me as an officer of Local 350,” said President Sergio Arrañaga. “This brave unit of women and men knew that organizing and joining the fold was the only way to ensure their own contract with good economics and worker protection language that they’ve never had before.”
This small Recology unit had been one of the last remaining non-union holdouts in the Locals jurisdiction but had long known of the benefits received by their union counterparts.
Keep readingThe 92 members at the South San Francisco Scavengers/Blue Line Transfer Station voted overwhelmingly in favor of a historic new collective bargaining agreement at Local 350’s first in-person ratification meeting since the start of the pandemic. These members service the cities of Millbrae, Brisbane, South San Francisco, and the San Francisco International Airport.
“This is by far the most lucrative financial contract that this unit has ever had,” says Business Representative Robert M.
Keep readingIn June, the 42-person South Bay Recycling Facility Operations unit in San Carlos voted to approve a historic new five-year deal. These essential workers are responsible for the day-to-day operations at the Shoreway Environmental Center, which encompasses both the Transfer Station and the Material Recovery Facility (MRF), both of which are open to residents, businesses, contractors, and individuals to bring their trash and recyclables for processing and transfer. Members include equipment operators, scale attendants, mechanics,
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As he waited for his school bus in 1980’s San Francisco, Luis Estrada would watch the garbage men running with their pack cans and picking up garbage every morning. Those Teamsters Local 350 members inspired young Luis to become a garbage man.
On August 2, 2000, Estrada began his career at Allied Waste Services of Daly City and as a member of Teamsters Local 350. “I was working full-time at the San Francisco Produce Markets and part-time with UPS in South San Francisco.
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Ricardo Barba has been a dedicated driver for Recology for 30 years. His career began in 1990 with Recology Golden Gate; he then transferred to Recology Sunset in 1996. For the majority of his career, Ricardo has proudly serviced San Francisco’s Mission neighborhood.
“This career isn’t just about being a Garbage Truck driver; it’s about being an essential part of the community and servicing others. Waking up early or staying late at work is worth it,
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Joseph Gomes has worked at South Bay Recycling for more than 34 years. He currently works as the transfer station’s heavy equipment operator, and also serves as the unit’s shop steward. “I like operating equipment. I also enjoy my position as the shop steward because I work with great guys and I like working for an organization that helps protect its workers’ rights,” he says with pride.
Aside from being both a proud member and shop steward,
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With 53 years of union membership under his belt, Miguel Gonzalez is currently one of the most tenured members at Teamsters Local 350.
His story begins back in 1951 in Mezcala, a small town in Jalisco, Mexico. When he was 16, Miguel immigrated to the U.S. His career in the garbage industry began with the Daly City Scavengers on September 8, 1967. When he learned from his cousin that the wages at South San Francisco Scavengers were much higher,
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“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.
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