Dr. Jim Kimball leads a course on analyzing public sector budgets at this week’s symposium.

This week, Teamsters 856 representatives took part in a symposium focused on legal frameworks, analyzing budgets, and contract costing in the public sector in California.

The conference, held in Oakland, gave Teamsters 856 representatives a chance to exchange strategies and collaborate with other public sector reps from across the state and economist Dr. James Kimball, director of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters’ Economics and Contracts Department.

While in town, Dr. Kimball also met with City of Santa Rosa Teamsters 856 stewards. More than 400 City of Santa Rosa Teamsters will be entering into contract negotiations this spring.

Dr. Kimball has previously worked with Teamsters 856 members to attain fair contracts, most notably in 2013, when his analysis of the City of Concord’s budget and subsequent testimony led to the Local becoming the first union in California to prevail in the state’s newly enacted fact-finding procedure.

“Our access to the foremost national experts in economics and strategic campaigns aids in not only negotiating, but enforcing strong contracts for our members at the local level,” said Teamsters 856 Principal Officer Peter Finn. “Opportunities like this week’s symposium are an important part of a multi-faceted strategy to fight smart at the bargaining table and beyond,” he said.