Secretary-Treasurer and Principal Officer Peter Finn.

When it comes to fighting employers at the bargaining table and demanding fairness in the workplace, there is no doubt, bigger is better. The more of us that stand together as one, the stronger our collective voice, and the more resources we have to win. We gain power at the bargaining table and can provide more effective representation by getting bigger, and now that Local 856 has grown to over 12,000 members strong, we are the biggest Teamster Local in Northern California.

With increased size comes resources, which translates into power and effectiveness in negotiations. Winning strong contracts involves creating a comprehensive legal, political, communications, and bargaining strategy to maximize leverage – all supported by an organized member-led ground game to apply increased pressure on the employer. Growing in size means more resources available to Local 856 negotiators – more access to attorneys, a stronger political program that wields more political influence, better communication tools, and an organizing team to lead member actions and leverage the support of community allies.

As we continue to build our Local Union into a bigger and stronger force, we remain concentrated on our primary focus as an organization: aggressively and effectively representing current Teamster 856 members in the workplace. The more people who decide to stand together with us at Local 856, the more power current members have. We build density in key industries, expand our geographic and political influence, and most important, growing our Union adds staff and other assets to support current members’ contract enforcement and representation. There is strength in numbers.

Strength in Numbers

The bigger we are, the stronger our collective voice – and the more resources we have to win.

Power and resources to win strong contracts:

• Dedicated professional staff and expertise in key functions such as bargaining, legal, communications, politics, and organizing
• Larger influence in the local community where members work — political strength, more pull with labor partners, and better strategic partnerships with community allies

More Effective Workplace Representation:

• More reps per member across Local 856 means better responsiveness, communication, consistency, and efficiency
• Capacity to deploy a team of reps and specialists with expertise to take on employers when they decide to pick a fight