WASHINGTON, Feb. 27, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/
-- Drivers who transport employees for six big Silicon Valley
companies have voted overwhelmingly 104 to 38 in favor of
representation by Teamsters Local 853 in San Leandro,
Calif.
The 158 full and part-time drivers—employees of Compass
Transportation—shuttle Apple, Yahoo, eBay, Zynga, Genentech and
Amtrak workers to and from work and home.
Compass Transportation drivers are among a growing group of
workers in Silicon Valley who are organizing to improve their
working conditions by joining the Teamsters.
"This is another step, in addition to the Facebook drivers, for
the workers who support the tech industry to move forward toward
decent wages, affordable health care and a pension for the future,"
said Rome Aloise, International Vice President and
Secretary-Treasurer of Teamsters Local 853. "As we continue to be
contacted by drivers for other companies, we call on Apple, eBay,
Zynga, Genentech, Yahoo and Amtrak to encourage their contractor to
agree to the same economics that the Facebook drivers will
enjoy."
"There are drivers who've been here 20 years and have never seen
a future, and now we have a future with the Teamsters," said
Tracy Kelley, a Compass driver. "We
need wages commensurate with what it costs to live in this area,
but it's not just about wages. It's about having better working
conditions. We need changes and that's why I called the
Teamsters."
Kelley, like many of his co-workers, leaves his home at
6 a.m. and returns home most nights
after 8 p.m. He spends about 8 hours
between shifts at the bus yard, for which he is not paid.
Compass Transportation is one of a number of operators that
Silicon Valley companies contract with to provide transportation
for their employees.
In Nov. 2014, 87 shuttle bus
drivers for Facebook contractor Loop Transportation voted to join
Local 853. On Feb. 21, the drivers
voted unanimously in favor of a contract that includes significant
wage increases, paid health care, retirement, guaranteed hours and
improved working conditions, among many other gains. With this
contract, the average pay for workers at Loop will be $24.50 an hour, up from $18 an hour.
The Teamsters Union is part of a growing movement of labor,
faith and community-based organizations and workers challenging
income inequality in Silicon Valley through an innovative
partnership called Silicon Valley Rising.
"We believe in a Silicon Valley where all workers, their
families and communities are valued and are a part of our region's
prosperity. Silicon Valley Rising strives to close the drastic
inequity in our community," said Derecka
Mehrens, Executive Director of Working Partnerships
USA, one of a number of community
groups that is leading the campaign.
For more information on tech worker organizing with the
Teamsters, visit:
http://teamster.org/tech-drivers-deserve-union.
Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters
represents 1.4 million hardworking men and women throughout
the United States, Canada and Puerto
Rico. Visit www.teamster.org for more information. Follow us
on Twitter @Teamsters and "like" us on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/teamsters.
Contact:
Rome Aloise, (510) 895-8853
raloise@teamsters853.org
To view the original version on PR Newswire,
visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/drivers-for-apple-yahoo-ebay-zynga-genentech-and-amtrak-join-teamsters-300043125.html
SOURCE International Brotherhood of Teamsters