Teamsters Rod Boettger (r) and Todd Reis (l) meet with Union Representative Cara Mattson to discuss a looming labor dispute at Veritiv.

With a labor dispute looming at Veritiv, 38-year Teamster Roderick Boettger recalls a two-day strike at the company decades ago. 

It was a debacle not unlike the current one, with the company dragging its feet in negotiations and clinging to substandard proposals. “They weren’t giving us what we wanted, so we went on strike,” Boettger said. 

The strike was short-lived, but the impact on the company was profound. Boetteger remembers the chaos in the shop when his crew returned to work.

“The warehouse was really messed up,” he said. “Forklifts were stuck in the air and stuff was scattered all over the place. It was complete disorder.”

Evidently, the company has not learned its lesson. This time around, they've slow-walked negotiations for eight months and appear to be trying to provoke a strike yet again.

Todd Reis, a Shop Steward on our union’s negotiations committee, called out Veritiv for its hypocrisy. “They tell us how much they care, but then turn around and try to take everything away that we’ve worked hard to keep,” he said.

Reis, Boettger and their co-workers are fed up. The group of warehouse workers and drivers represented by Teamsters 117 and 174 respectively voted unanimously to authorize a strike back in December. 

Earlier this month, our two Locals issued a 10-day notice that we would be terminating our contracts with the company. 

"We’ll get an idea of how seriously they’re going to take us soon."

Shop Steward Robert Morrison, also on our union’s negotiations team, says the group is disgusted. “We’re ready to go right now. We’ll get an idea of how seriously they’re going to take us soon.”

John Scearcy, Local 117 Secretary-Treasurer, reiterated this point. “Our members are amped up and ready to strike,” he said. “Veritiv needs to return to negotiations and bargain a fair contract in good faith that respects our members and their families.”

The next negotiations session on April 30 will be telling: Will Veritiv come with reasonable proposals or will they continue to balk at decent treatment of their employees? If it's the latter, they'd better be ready for a fight.

Teamster Gerald Maines sits down with Jesse Jones of KIRO 7 to discuss the plant closure at Shasta.

Thanks to some shrewd investigatory reporting by KIRO 7's Jesse Jones, Shasta's dirty tricks are finally being exposed. 

Shasta's Tukwila plant was shut down by the City's fire marshal nine weeks ago after the company failed to obtain permits for a major construction project at the facility.

Shasta has refused to provide any compensation for its Teamster employees during the shutdown, and many have lost their health and welfare benefits. This includes a member with a new-born baby and one battling stage 4 cancer.

After getting stonewalled by Shasta, Shop Steward Gerald Maines along with Secretary-Treasurer John Scearcy reached out to Jones to talk about our contractual rights and how the company's negligence has affected workers.

"We have a labor agreement, we have rights in that labor agreement that guarantee pay. And unless it's outside the company's control, they are expected and contractually obligated to provide wages and benefits," Scearcy told Jones in the interview.

See the full story below:

On Friday, the State House and Senate finalized the legislation for our Department of Corrections (DOC) and University of Washington Police Department (UWPD) interest arbitration bills (SB 5021/SB 5022). This clears the way for both bills to be sent to the Governor’s desk for his signature.

The Governor has indicated that he is supportive of the bills, and we expect he will sign them into law in the coming weeks. As soon as we have a date for the bill signing ceremony, we will let you know and encourage you to attend this historic event.

It’s hard to express the magnitude of this victory. We’ve been working as a union for nearly a decade to achieve statutory interest arbitration rights. Now the finish line is close at hand.

Interest arbitration is a complete game-changer when it comes to the power we leverage in contract negotiations. Without interest arbitration, we had little recourse when bargaining with the State over issues like wages and working conditions. 

It’s hard to express the magnitude of this victory.

With this new law, we will be able to push mandatory subjects of bargaining to a neutral third-party arbitrator if we reach impasse in negotiations. 

The ramifications are huge. Over the last three contract cycles we’ve been able to access interest arbitration rights at the DOC, first through a Memorandum of Understanding signed by the Governor, then through a negotiated provision in our contract. Because of interest arbitration, we’ve succeeded in increasing wages for DOC Teamsters by 28.3% over six years. 

But from the start our goal has always been to codify these rights into State law, which is exactly what these bills will do. Once they become law, we will have increased our strength to negotiate higher wages and better working conditions for all of you who risk your lives to serve and protect our communities.

Thanks again for your tremendous work toward this victory. By standing together and committing to each other, we’ve succeeded in achieving critical rights that will improve the lives of 6,000 members and their families.

We have lots of great news to share from Olympia!

On Saturday, our interest arbitration bill (SB 5021) for Teamsters at the DOC cleared yet another critical hurdle when it passed out of the House Appropriations committee on a vote of 26-6.

The bill has now successfully passed out of all of its fiscal and policy committees in the House of Representatives and is in the House Rules Committee awaiting a vote on the House floor.  Passage in the House is the final step before the bill gets sent to the Governor for his signature.

Interest arbitration is important because it levels the playing field when we are in negotiations with the State. With interest arbitration, we can take mandatory subjects of bargaining to a neutral third-party arbitrator if we reach impasse in negotiations.

In more good news from Olympia, our bill (HB 1589) that restores the right for trained DOC personnel to carry a concealed weapon is in the Senate Rules Committee and requires only a Senate floor vote and the Governor’s signature to secure passage.

Our other top priority is to ensure that our DOC contract gets funded. On that front, things are looking promising as well.  While budget negotiations are ongoing, both the House and the Senate have included funding for our collective bargaining agreement in their budgets.

This is all fantastic news. Our collective voice as Teamsters this legislative session has been incredibly strong and made a tremendous impact.  Thank you for working so hard to make sure legislators hear our voice and to build a strong political program that makes these kinds of victories possible.

Have a kid who needs cash for class? Teamsters 117 is now accepting applications for the 2019 Jeff Alfieri Scholarship.

The deadline for submitting applications is Friday, May 31, 2019. 

• View scholarship application and instructions
• View eligibility requirements
• View a flyer for the program

The Local 117 Jeff Alfieri Scholarship of up to $2000 is awarded to outstanding students whose parents are members of Teamsters Local 117. If you have questions about the scholarship, talk to your Business Representative, or call 206-441-4860 or 1-888-872-3489.

The founders of the scholarship fund, Ralph and Sue Alfieri, established the scholarship in memory of their son Jeff Alfieri, a former Business Representative with Teamsters Local 117.

Teamsters at UNFI/Supervalu are united and won't be pushed around by an employer who is intent on maximizing profits at their expense.

Imagine coming home from work, you sit your family down, and have tell them your job is being relocated hundreds of miles away. Your employer is offering no security with regard to your union contract, your wages, seniority, and benefits. 

This is the reality for our members employed at the UNFI/Supervalu grocery distribution centers in Auburn and Tacoma. 

After acquiring Supervalu last year, UNFI abruptly announced that they would be moving the work from both facilities to Chehalis and Ridgefield. 

The proposed move raises critical questions for our members and their families. Will they remain Teamsters? Will the terms and conditions of their current contract apply at the new locations? Will they retain their seniority rights? What will their severance package look like if they are unable to make the move?  

"Teamsters at UNFI/Supervalu won't be bullied into forfeiting their rights."

Hundreds of members from the group and their families met at our Union Hall in Tukwila on March 16 to discuss these questions and set priorities. The group met again for another update on Saturday, March 30. 

"This is everyone's future," said Annette Pitchford, a 33-year Teamster Shop Steward who works inventory control at the UNFI/Supervalu facility in Tacoma. "It is essential that we stay together and you can really feel that in the warehouse right now."

Our union's principal officer John Scearcy was joined by previous Local 117 Secretary-Treasurers Tracey Thompson and John Williams to address the group. 

"We are working to ensure that our members' rights are protected under their contract and under the law," Secretary-Treasurer Scearcy said. "Teamsters at UNFI/Supervalu won't be bullied into forfeiting their rights. They are united and prepared to fight to protect their livelihoods."

Faith-based and community leaders join with workers at ICS who are struggling for justice and respect. 

Community pressure on Industrial Container Services (ICS) continues to intensify.

An interfaith delegation of religious leaders and representatives from community groups joined with workers to deliver a letter yesterday calling on the company to respect the rights of ICS employees and bargain a contract in good faith.

Members of the delegation took turns offering prayer and a message of solidarity with the workers as the group waited in the ICS lobby for management to receive the delegation and "open the doors of justice." 

"I wanted to be here with my voice and my presence today to stand behind these workers and their courage because what they need and what they want for their families is important," said Tana Powell of the Valley and Mountain United Methodist Church. 

"Our community is standing in unity with Teamsters at ICS."

Workers at ICS have been struggling over the last several months for a contract that honors their work and respects their right to a clean, healthy working environment. 

During negotiations, ICS unilaterally changed its employees' health care plan and allegedly engaged in unlawful surveillance of workers during a peaceful protest on February 22. 

On March 7, Seattle City Councilmember Lorena Gonzalez met with workers and delivered a letter to ICS management urging the company to negotiate a living wage, affordable health care, and retirement security for members of Teamsters 117.

"Our community is standing in unity with Teamsters at ICS," said John Scearcy, Secretary-Treasurer of Teamsters 117. "This company needs to understand that we are stronger when all workers can afford to put food on the table for their families, take their kids to the doctor, and not have to worry about exposure to toxic chemicals in the workplace."

View more photos from the delegation here.

Starting at the end of March, we will be holding spring Membership Meetings for all DOC Teamsters at facilities across the State.

At the meetings, we will be talking about the status of our legislative priorities in Olympia and ways to get involved to ensure that we can be successful.

You can view days, times, and facilities below. Click on the link to your facility to RSVP.

You are invited a very special event. Teamsters 117 will be holding its first-ever Womxn's Conference She/Us/We Rising Together! on Saturday, May 18 from 8 AM to 1 PM at our Union Hall in Tukwila.

This short, energetic conference will feature presentations, open discussion, and group participatory workshops for members of Teamsters 117 and their friends and family. Lunch will be provided, a fundraiser art-show, kid’s activities, and much more!

WOMXN'S CONFERENCE AGENDA - 2019

Will you join us? Be sure to reserve a spot for the conference by registering online here.

We've already confirmed a lineup of distinguished guests. Congresswomen Pramila Jayapal (District 07) will address the conference participants as well as Elise Bryant, the National President of the Coalition of Labor Union Women, among others. 

Workshops are planned on the following topics:

• Effective Leadership
• Shutting Down Sexual Harassment On The Job
• Financial Management and Independence
• Climate Justice
• Running for Office: What You Need to Know

We are accepting artwork donations for an art raffle which will directly benefit a newly-created Teamsters 117 Jayme Biendl Working Women’s Scholarship. 

This is sure to be an exciting and memorable event. Register now for She/Us/We – Rising Together! and encourage your co-workers to do the same. If you have questions or would like to donate artwork for the conference, please contact Karen Estevenin at 206-794-8471. 

This month, we celebrate Women's History Month. Check out this message from our International Union and be sure to register for our upcoming Teamsters 117 Womxn's Conference on May 18. 

The Teamsters Union celebrates Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day. Every year, we commemorate Women’s History Month in March, and March 8 marks International Women’s Day. The theme of International Women’s Day in 2019 is “Balance for Better,” because a more gender-balanced world is a better world. This is a time to reflect on women’s accomplishments in our union and communities at large.

Often it’s Mother Jones or Rosie the Riveter who come to mind when we think about strong women in labor history. However, there are so many more accomplished women, including Teamsters, who work every day to fight for workers’ rights. These are women who resist, press forward, lead and bring about social and economic justice. They are deserving of our respect and gratitude not just in March, but throughout the year.

Looking back to the history of our union, over a century ago, women were organizing with the Teamsters. In 1916, the union was involved in a contract for women laundry workers in Chicago, helping the workers successfully organize and create the first all-women negotiating committee. They achieved equal pay for black and white women working in the laundries.

In 1919, “equal pay for all” was a slogan within the union. The Teamsters Union has been and will continue to be a champion for equal pay, negotiating gender and color-blind contracts. Women in unions are more likely to have access to paid leave, health benefits and a secure retirement. Women of all demographics fare better economically with union representation. In 2017, union women’s median weekly earnings were $200 more than nonunion women’s.

As we honor our history, Teamsters look to the future. At the annual Teamsters Women’s Conference in Orlando in September, more than a thousand Teamsters gathered at the event whose theme was, “Dream. Believe. Achieve.” Thanks to the vision of our sisters, all Teamsters can achieve great things together for our union as we strive to uplift all workers.

The Teamsters Union is proud to honor Women’s History Month.

- From our International Union's website, March 4 2019