Landfill Workers Join Local 439, Prepare
for First Contract Negotiations
STOCKTON, Calif., Aug. 8, 2024
/PRNewswire/ -- Workers at Republic Services have voted
overwhelmingly to join Teamsters Local 439. The group consists of
over 40 machine operators, laborers, and maintenance workers at the
company's Stockton, California,
landfill facility.
"I've been working at Republic for years, and we organized with
the Teamsters because we hit a boiling point over our pay,
benefits, and working conditions," said Jose Zepeda, a spotter and new member of Local
439. "I want to thank the Local 439 drivers at Republic and Waste
Management who dump at our facility and supported our organizing
campaign. I'm proud that my co-workers and I stepped up to the
plate and fought for what we deserve."
Workers at the Stockton
landfill organized with the Teamsters to achieve the same gains
that drivers at Republic, already represented by Local 439, have
secured. By voting to become Teamsters, the group will be able to
negotiate for the wages, benefits, and working conditions enjoyed
by Teamsters across the solid waste industry.
"These workers deserve the same rights, pay, and benefits
enjoyed by drivers already covered under a Teamsters contract,"
said Sal Lomeli, Secretary-Treasurer
of Local 439. "I congratulate these workers for joining our local
union and look forward to negotiating a strong contract that
rewards them for their service to our community."
During the organizing campaign, Republic Services launched an
intense union-busting campaign at the Stockton facility in a failed attempt to
discourage workers from organizing.
"Union busters' lies can't hide the fact that Republic Services
only cares about their bottom line," said Chuck Stiles, Director of the Teamsters Solid
Waste and Recycling Division. "The company's disregard for its
workers' welfare and its false promises only strengthens our
resolve. More and more workers at Republic are rising up and
organizing with the Teamsters."
Teamsters Local 439 has been representing workers and their
families in San Joaquin,
Amador, Calaveras, and Tuolumne counties for over 60 years. For more
information, go to Teamsters439.com.
Contact:
Daniel Moskowitz, (770)
262-4971
dmoskowitz@teamster.org
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SOURCE Teamsters Local 439