Updates

They put their own lives at risk to protect the citizens of Webster, Mass. Now, the 41 part-time firefighters with the Webster Fire Department have their own protection—Teamster representation.

The firefighters recently voted to join Local 170 in Worcester, Mass., after years of difficulty in gaining a contract and recognition from their employer. They previously had an association that they disbanded when they decided to join the Teamsters.

Webster, like other towns in Massachusetts, employs part-time, on-call firefighters.

Ed Sterczala was once a member of Local 170 when he worked for Kellogg’s. Sterczala thought of his time as a Teamster when it became clear that he and his co-workers needed strong representation.

“We’re not looking to make a ton of money; we just want a fair wage and a fair contract,” said Sterczala, who has worked as a firefighter for 10 years.

“Most of the issues are around representation. They needed a strong union to secure their benefits, wages and a legally binding contract which we will enforce,” said Mike Hogan, Secretary-Treasurer of Local 170.

“These brave workers knew that when they needed someone to represent them, the right choice was Teamsters Local 170. I am very happy to welcome them into our Teamster family,” said Paul Stuart, an organizer with the Teamsters.

(PHILADELPHIA) – Dining hall employees at Bon Appétit who work at the University of Pennsylvania will vote soon on Teamsters representation. They plan to be unionized so that they can collectively bargain with their employer for fair wages and paid sick days in a written contract. 

"For years, I have put my heart and soul and dedication into every effort,” said Kareem Wallace, an organizer and cook for Bon Appétit at Penn’s Falk Dining Commons. “At the end of the day it would be great to feel acknowledged and appreciated by the management.”

“It’s time for us to be heard,” said Troy Harris, a Bon Appétit employee for the past 13 years. “I’ve been working here a long time and my kids are growing. I need to be paid a fair wage in order to support my family.”

Although other employees at the university are unionized, this unit of 15, employed by Bon Appétit, is non-union and is paid below the rate of the wages the unionized employees earn.

“We will work hard to give these employees of Bon Appétit the wages and benefits they deserve,” said John Preston, Secretary-Treasurer of Local 929. “We’ve coordinated with the Penn Students Labor Action Project (SLAP) on this organizing campaign. SLAP has been tremendous in helping us understand the struggles these workers at Bon Appétit have faced, as well as university politics.”

For more information, contact Teamsters Local 929 at (215) 288-1430 and see www.teamsterslocal929.org. Follow SLAP on Facebook: SLAP@Penn and http://pennslap.blogspot.com/.

Teamster members working in utilities, DPW, road maintenance, office/clerical and facilities management for Hernando County, Florida, have ratified a new agreement.  These employees work in both professional and non-professional Hernando County government positions. This is the second contract for the unit which has more than 400 employees.

“Teamsters Local 79 is proud to announce that we reached a full tentative agreement  with the Hernando County administration, through the assistance an impasse mediator appointed by PERC (state Public Employees Relations Commission),” said Ken Wood, President of Local 79 and International Vice President.  “Both parties reached an agreement on the contract language regarding filling open positions and promotions, based on the concept that when two candidates for the open position are equally qualified, then county seniority shall prevail when awarding the position. The union is thankful for the cooperation of the administration, and their willingness to recognize how important seniority is to the employees, as it ensures fairness in the workplace and helps to stop favoritism.”

Teamsters Local 79 represents 4,000 workers in the freight, parcel, bakery and dairy industries as well as state, city and county governments.

Employees of Coca Cola in the greater Cincinnati area working in the Vending Service Department recently joined Teamsters Local 1199.  The employees, 32 in all, repair vending machines and fountain equipment in the Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky Area.

“These new members will join the other 220 employees working in production, maintenance, warehouse and fleet maintenance at Coca Cola that we already represent,” said Randall Verst, President of Local 1199.

“Their primary reason for joining our union was that they needed strong and dedicated representation with the employer for maintenance of their existing contract and negotiating for new contracts in the future,” Verst said.

The Coca Cola workers of Local 1199 are part of the Teamsters Brewery and Soft Drink Workers Conference which represents more than 60,000 employees of beer and soft drink companies in the United States and Canada.