South Bay Recycling members ratify historic contract
July 9, 2021
In 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, spotters, and sorters.
“I am proud to say that after a long negotiation process, we were able to attain worker protection language, including a no lay-off clause, that nowadays is unprecedented. During the pandemic, South Bay Recycling laid off several members, causing a health and safety risk, not just for our people, but for the general public who utilize this facility,” says lead negotiator and Business Representative Robert Sandoval. “Thanks to the support from our political allies, we were able to bring back all those affected and we made sure that our members would never be put in that position again. Safety and staffing go hand in hand for this type of work.”
Additionally, the members retained their full maintenance of benefits and will see a significant increase in wages and pension over the five years of the agreement.
One of the driving forces in this process was negotiating committee member, shop steward, and Executive Board member Joseph Gomes. “I’d like to thank Local 350, specifically John Bouchard, Robert Sandoval, Larry Daugherty, and Serio Arranaga for their support and collaboration in a strong and lucrative contract,” said Gomes. “I’d also like to thank the South Bay Recycling members for the unanimous support and confidence in the union to negotiate the best contract on our behalf.”
CAN campaign to protect Recology jobs
Local 350 has launched a campaign to protect the jobs of the workers at Recology in San Francisco following the recent corruption scandal there. The Local is looking to amass supporters in case anybody challenges the San Francisco charter amendment that protects the jobs of these workers and their right to be employee/owners of Recology.
To learn more, scan this QR code with your phone camera to read and sign up to support. Or go to: communityandneighbors.info/TeamstersCAN
