Sources: International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 853, Oakland, Calif.; CP staff
Teamsters Local 853 reports a tentative agreement with major northern California ready mixed producers Cemex and Central Concrete Supply following a marathon August 7 bargaining session. The union will formally present the producers’ offer to rank & file on August 14, the contract containing “significant wage and benefit increases while holding fast on other terms and conditions the employers attempted to modify.”
Local officials note that a) drivers were prepared to begin picketing the employers’ ready mixed facilities if the negotiations did not settle the areas of contention; and, b) a strike would have shut down concrete work from Santa Clara County into Solano County, including many San Francisco commercial and public jobs, plus various Silicon Valley sites. A work stoppage would have involved more than 600 Teamsters and affected most other building trades.
“Our members spoke loud and clear concerning the [pre-August 7] offer, and although a decent economic offer, it had some areas regarding working conditions that our members were not ready to accept,” says IBT Vice President and Northern California Teamsters Joint Council President Rome Aloise. “A long session with the employers was held Sunday in a last ditch attempt to prevent what would have been a devastating work stoppage for many people and construction sites. I am happy to report that we have reached a settlement that our bargaining committee has endorsed unanimously.”