(STOCKTON, Calif.) – 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.
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