 |
| Our new Teamster brothers and sisters in Detroit. |
Please give a warm welcome to our 55 new brothers and sisters who drive trash in tractor-trailer rigs for Stafford Transportation in Port Huron, Mich. They voted overwhelmingly on Friday to join Teamsters Local 337 in Detroit/Port Huron.
Jim Parrinello, trustee for Teamsters Local 337, said the workers are seeking fair wages and respect on the job:
The workers remained strong and united, and they had a very strong committee of 13, which grew to 25.The Stafford drivers won even though the company fired the main worker-organizer, Mike Williams. He had refused to give the company the authorization cards signed by workers as management demanded. Teamsters Local 337 has filed charges with the NLRB over the firing. The charges are pending.
Local President Mike Martin said General President Jim Hoffa stressed the importance of organizing at the Teamsters Joint Council 43 spring delegates meeting.
This victory at Stafford is our second organizing victory since then. Earlier, we won an election at First Student.Parrinello thanked Teamsters Local 419 and its members in Canada who came into contact with the Stafford workers. They talked about the benefits of being Teamsters. He also said Teamsters Local 299 President Kevin Moore, who serves on the Joint Council 43 Executive Board, helped make the campaign a success.
Bob Morales, director of the Teamsters Solid Waste, Recycling and Related Industries Division, said:
We’re enthusiastic about organizing many more members across America.
