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Arizona, Texas Workers’ Persistence Pays Off
November 11, 2005
Thanks to the efforts of Local 104 in Phoenix, 11 drivers at California Gas
Transport, Inc. won their jobs back with full back wages and benefits, and the
Teamsters won the right to represent workers in the company’s Nogales, Arizona
terminal.
“This is a huge victory for all of the workers involved,” said Kathy Campbell, a
Local 104 organizer. “We achieved a bargaining order, giving us the right to
represent the drivers in Nogales. There have only been 13 or 14 such orders in
the history of Arizona.”
The case began in September 2004, when Local 104 filed for a representation
election for the 20 drivers at the company’s Nogales terminal. Upon filing, the
company fired about 25 percent of the drivers, Campbell said. The company
alleged, for example, that three of the drivers had tickets, which posed
insurance problems.
Upon hearing about the situation in Nogales, unorganized drivers at California
Transport in El Paso, Texas walked out on strike for better wages, improved
safety and better working conditions.
The company fired nine strikers in El Paso. The company also fired two workers
in Nogales for refusing to be strikebreakers by transferring to El Paso as the
company wanted.
Local 104 Begins Fight
Local 104 went to bat for the workers, filing unfair labor practice charges.
In October 2004, workers in Nogales voted against joining the Teamsters after
the company threatened the remaining workers and made empty promises.
Local 104 filed objections to the election, and a hearing was held this past
spring.
On September 16, 2005, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) ordered the
nine drivers from El Paso and the two from Nogales back to work with full back
pay and benefits.
More importantly, the NLRB issued a bargaining order, which meant there would be
no rerun election and that Local 104 would become the Nogales’ drivers’
representative.
“The 11 drivers got some justice in the case, but we still have a fight on our
hands,” said Andy Marshall, Local 104 Secretary-Treasurer.”
The company, which is appealing the NLRB ruling, is refusing to bargain with
Local 104, and it has outsourced half the work in Nogales to avoid collective
bargaining.
Local 104 is in the process of filing charges for those violations.
“We’re not going to stop until justice is done for these workers, period,”
Marshall said.
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