Teamsters continue to push workers-first agenda
November 1, 2025
Teamsters Joint Council 7 has been showing up in force and flexing our political power on a local and state level in support of our membership. In July, Republic Services waste management workers represented by Local 439 went on strike to get their first contract. They extended the strike lines throughout our Joint Council at other Republic sites. Elected officials in Stockton and throughout the Bay Area stood with our members and put pressure on Republic to resolve the strike. That included filing against Republic for violation of their local contracts and making multiple phone calls to the company to demand a resolution.
Local 439 was successful in winning their first contract, a victory that wouldn’t have been possible without the political power and involvement of all our Locals.
Joint Council 7’s lobby day for AB 288, our Right to Organize Bill was a success with Amazon members testifying on behalf of this important bill and every Local in the Joint Council participating in support of these workers. We had over 100 members come from across the state and were successful in getting this important bill moving through the legislative process. It passed with flying colors in the Assembly and through its first two Senate committees and was recently signed into law by Governor Newsom.
Lastly, the hard work of our movie industry members who went to every budget hearing at the Capitol were successful in getting the Film and Television Tax Credit passed, which was then signed by the Governor.
In our efforts to push our workers-first agenda in California, we also held our first ever Teamsters California candidate interviews. Teamsters Joint Council 7 and Joint Council 42 collectively represent 250,000 Teamsters in California. This was an opportunity for us to gather together to meet with candidates who are seeking to run for statewide office. We were able to ask questions about automation and AI and the impacts it has to our jobs, education and funding issues, how to hold companies like Amazon accountable, and how candidates would make California more affordable for everyday working people. We had real conversations about how decisions made at the state level have lasting impacts on working people and emphasized the important of Teamsters workers to the California economy. These interviews allow us to collectively vet candidates and endorse those who value the importance of working people and will advocate and push for policies that protect our jobs and support pro-worker policies.
As we continue the endorsement process for local level candidates, stay tuned with your Locals for opportunities to participate in DRIVE, volunteer with endorsed candidates, and—of course—vote!
