Teamsters 117 Family -

One of the most important rights we have as Teamsters is our right to collectively bargain. Collective bargaining gives us immense power. It means we can square off face-to-face with our employer and negotiate the terms of our employment. Our wages, benefits, and working conditions are on the table every time a new contract cycle rolls around. This is a right non-union workers simply don’t have.

The origins of collective bargaining date back to the industrial revolution but were codified in law in 1935 with the passage of the National Labor Relations Act. Since then, collective bargaining has been an indispensable tool for workers trying to improve their quality of life.

But success at the bargaining table takes more than what is enshrined in statute.  As workers, we need strong labor laws, but collective bargaining yields results only if we are willing to fight for what we deserve. This requires union solidarity.  

Members of Teamsters 117 know what solidarity is all about. This July, after 10 months of frustrating negotiations, Teamsters at Woodland Park Zoo organized a “just practicing” picket to demand a fair contract. Huge numbers showed up, including new members who had just voted unanimously to join the union. The picket quickly led to big gains at the bargaining table. Workers had backed up their demands with powerful, collective action.

Teamsters and other Union members at Woodland Park Zoo rally after an informational picket on July 12.

Since the beginning of the year, 12 groups of Teamsters have voted unanimously to ratify their contracts, including members at Waste Management. At the Department of Corrections, 97% voted to reject the State’s Last, Best, and Final proposal. In the face of a looming merger between grocer behemoths Kroger and Albertsons, Teamsters at Safeway came together to win historic workplace protections and wage increases.

This is what union solidarity looks like.

Solidarity can also mean pitching in to help with our Back-To-School or Toy Drive or showing up at one of our many fundraiser events. It means something as simple but vitally important as attending a demands, contract ratification, or general membership meeting. It means finding a way to get involved.

In our politics and in our personal lives, we too often harp on our differences. But as workers, there is much more that unites us than divides us. We all want a decent life for our families, the ability to take our kids to the doctor without breaking the bank, and enough leftover at end of our working lives to retire with dignity. To realize these goals, we need to stand together. As Cesar Chavez, the legendary UFW organizer, once said, “¡El pueblo unido jamás será vencido!”

Simply put, our solidarity is the key.

In Solidarity,

Paul Dascher
Secretary-Treasurer