Friday, August 10, 2012

Woo-hoo! Warehouse drivers in VA join Teamsters

Welcome to our new brothers and sisters who work at Nash Finch in Norfolk, Va. More than 100 drivers voted to become members of Local 822, joining more than 450 other Teamsters who work for the wholesale food distributor.

Arthur Padmore, a 10-year driver with the company and a leading member of the organizing committee, is thrilled to be a Teamster:
It feels great to finally have an opportunity to make improvements here and have a voice on the job. The company fought against us with meetings and everything but we were able to win. We’re really glad to have an organization like the Teamsters by our side to help us get better benefits for the work that we do.
Local 822 President James Wright welcomed the 109 drivers to the local:
This is a huge win and we look forward to negotiating a new contract for these drivers. I know the workers are excited and I’m excited for them.
Nash Finch is the second-largest publicly traded food distributor in the country. Drivers at the facility in Norfolk tried to organize with the Teamsters in 2010 but met stiff resistance by the company.

John A. Williams, director of the Teamsters Warehouse Division, congratulated the local and the workers on this important organizing win:
We congratulate the Nash Finch drivers for their success at winning Teamster representation. The Warehouse Division looks forward to assisting Local 822 and these drivers to achieve a comprehensive first agreement with Nash Finch that raises standards for drivers.
The drivers will join hundreds of other Nash Finch Teamsters at nine facilities in Ohio and Indiana.

-- Union Thug