After long contentious negotiations, that included a one-day strike in December, front-line health care Teamsters 856 members at Sutter Health Eden Medical Center (EMC) in Castro Valley have ratified a new contract that increases wages and protects hard-fought contract language.

The 140 Teamsters 856 members at EMC include respiratory therapists, lab techs, imaging techs, and other health care professionals who have been on the front lines of the pandemic since its onset last spring.

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In November, three more rank and file Local 856 members were elected to office after each not only won their race, but were also the top vote-getters in their respective contests. In addition, Local 856 Staff Attorney Malia Vella was re-elected to the Alameda City Council. As the top vote-getter in her race, she will serve as the city’s vice mayor. 

 “It’s important for working families to have a seat at the table,” says Vella.

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Local 856 won hazard pay for more than 3,000 members working in its Food Processing Division during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic—recognizing the workers who have kept the nation’s food supply functioning and the inherent dangers they have faced just by reporting to work each day.

Ashley Alvarado, Director of the Local 856 Food Processing Division, said that despite no legal means to require the employer to provide additional compensation, the Local had secured hazard pay for members at Pacific Coast Producers plants in Lodi,

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SRMA, an association of public employees in Santa Rosa, has voted to affiliate with Teamsters 856. The 135-member association, originally founded in 2009, includes professionals who work in public works, planning and economic development, housing and community services, recreation and parks, and other departments providing valuable services throughout the City of Santa Rosa.

The affiliation agreement means SRMA members will stand with 450 existing Santa Rosa Teamsters Local 856 members, and over 17,000 members represented by Local 856 throughout Northern California.

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In February, front desk and reservations employees at the new Grand Hyatt at SFO voted to form a union with Teamsters 856–joining the over 1,000 hospitality workers already represented by the 17,000-member strong local.

The Grand Hyatt at SFO opened its doors last fall and is the only hotel on the San Francisco International Airport’s property.

This win is another victory for the Teamster Organizing Network–a coalition of Teamster Locals across California and Nevada whose goal is to help working people gain a voice on the job and build Teamster power in core industries.

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August 26, 2019, might have been just another workday for Hector Camacho and his City of Millbrae Public Works co-worker, Evan Ramirez, but an accident at the end of the day made it one to remember.

“We were getting off work and it happened right by the freeway on-ramp,” said Hector. Hector and Evan were returning to the Public Works corporation yard with the intention of going home for the day when they saw a car collide with a bicyclist.

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In June, with a resounding 90% yes vote, the members of Teamsters Local 601 voted to merge with Local 856. Their goal for the merger is to increase member strength, build on the current Teamster Central Valley infrastructure, and advance organizing opportunities while maintaining local control. Local 856 is fully committed to meeting those goals.

The merger, effective August 1, establishes the creation of the Teamsters Local 856 Food Processing Division, with a board of rank-and-file leaders headed by Director Ashley Alvarado.

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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.

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