Luis Rodriguez, left, at the May 1 March and Rally

Local 117 Teamster Luis Rodriguez died on Friday morning, June 6, after being crushed in a container in the yard of Simon Metals LLC in Tacoma. 

Rodriguez, a native of Mexico, leaves behind his wife and three young children, all of whom live in the Tacoma area.  Rodriguez was an active participant in Local 117’s newly founded Comité Latino, the local chapter of the Teamsters Hispanic Caucus.  The family plans to have Rodriguez’s body sent to Mexico for burial.

Donations are being accepted on behalf of the Rodriguez family by the Pierce County Labor Council.  If you are interested in making a donation, please make your check payable to PCLCSA (Pierce County Labor Community Services Agency) 3049 South 36th St., Suite 201 Tacoma, WA 98409 and put Rodriguez’s name on the memo line.

The Washington Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) has begun investigating the incident, the conclusions of which will not be available for more than a month.