October 16, 2001

Lube technicians and assistant managers at Jiffy Lube outlets in Woodbridge and South Amboy, NJ are the first employees at this expanding auto services franchise to organize as Teamsters. Despite a concerted anti-union effort mounted by the shops’ owner before the election - and a bogus challenge filed after its electoral defeat - these brave workers are fighting for respect on the job and a voice in their own future.

“These guys did everything we asked of them,” said International Organizer Leon Smith. “They collected 21 cards from a 23-person unit in less than a week-and-a-half. The owner never had a clue. He didn’t even know we were at it until he got a Notice of Election from the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).”   

By then, union partisans at the two shops were well on their way to victory. Two assistant managers at the South Amboy location were the campaign’s spearheads.

“We looked in the Yellow Pages. The local was only ten minutes from our shop. We figured that was a good sign,” said Sam Raposo, explaining why he and his colleague Shawn Booker decided to call Teamsters Local 469. “When we called, they responded right away.” 

Raposo reports that the company’s efforts to overturn their vote, rejected by the NLRB, have merely added to his co-workers’ resolve. They organized in a jiffy, but now they’re ready for the long haul. The first Jiffy Lube employees to join the Teamsters now aim to be the first in the country with a strong Teamsters contract. Based on their record, they will win. It’s only a matter of time.