They became Teamsters because they want better working conditions and a voice on the job. Christopher Greenlee, a lead pasteurizer, said,
We organized to improve our pay, have better communication with the company and have a say in our work rules. We’re very satisfied that we are getting representation from the Teamsters because the Teamsters represent almost all of the dairies in our area.YoCream is a family-owned frozen yogurt company founded in 1977. Danone bought it for $103 million in 2010. The Danone brand is marketed in the United States as Dannon.
In May, 37 dairy workers with Stonyfield Farm, also a division of Danone in Northern California, voted to join San Leandro-based Teamsters Local 853.
Rome Aloise, the Teamsters Dairy Conference new director (and an international vice president), said,
These two significant victories, coming only about a month apart, are the first organizing wins to be coordinated by the Teamsters Dairy Conference in years, and mark a big step forward in our renewed efforts to build power for workers in this industry.Tony Andrews, President of Teamsters Joint Council 37 and Secretary-Treasurer of Local 305, welcomed his new members:
We are very pleased with this significant vote for union representation. Credit goes to organizer Mark MacPherson, who met with the workers and was instrumental in aiding in this victory for them. We are certainly going to work to bring these workers the full level of Teamster benefits.
