Monday, January 28, 2013

Woo-hoo! 2 Teamster organizing victories in Md. and NY

Please welcome our new brothers and sisters who voted 29-0 to join Teamsters Local 570 in Baltimore. They are health aides who work at United Cerebral Palsy with adults who the disease. UCP bus drivers had voted overwhelmingly to join Local 570 in the fall.

According to the IBT,
Jacqueline Lewis was one of the workers who voted in favor of Teamster representation. Lewis, a personal development assistant, helps care for and assists in transporting clients with cerebral palsy, many of whom use wheelchairs. 
“I joined the union for equal opportunity, fairness and better conditions for all of us,” Lewis said. “It’s time for a union. It’s time all jobs have unions because we all need a voice.”
Sean Cedenio, secretary-treasurer for the local, said the employees believe they have not been treated with dignity and respect in many areas, and have confidence that Local 570 can best represent them.

Please also give a warm welcome to eight new members of Local 264 in Buffalo. They drive for Sherwood Food Distributors. Local 264 tells us,
The eight drivers run a shuttle operation from Cleveland, Ohio, that distributes food products throughout the area, traveling as far to the east as Syracuse, N.Y. 
Sherwood Foods is one of the nation’s largest independent distributors in the meat and food industry. With more than 5,000 customers and a fleet of 250 trucks, Sherwood delivers more than 16 million pounds of product each week. Like their union counterparts at other Sherwood Food locations across the country, this new group of Teamsters is seeking fair pay, affordable benefits, improved safety and job security in the workplace. 
“This new group of workers is comprised of dedicated professionals who are seeking the dignity, justice, and respect that a Teamsters negotiated contract will bring,” said M. Scott Chismar, Teamsters Local 264 Director of Organizing. “We are looking forward to sitting down with the company to negotiate a labor contract within the next few weeks.” 
Happy to have you all aboard -- you made the right choice!