Last month, more than 150 shop stewards and members attended Local 856’s 10th annual Shop Steward Appreciation Day.
The event, which took place at the Westin SFO in Millbrae this year, honored and thanked the Local’s stewards who act as mediators, advocates, contract enforcers and more for their Teamsters 856 colleagues.
“We know from firsthand experience how much hard work you put in as stewards,” said Local 856 Secretary-Treasurer Peter Finn. “This is a day we get to say thank you and how much we appreciate all your hard work.”
At the event, Peter noted that Local 856 has grown from 7,000 to 17,000 members since the very first Shop Steward Appreciation Day in 2010.
The day included guest speakers California Assembly Speaker pro Tem Kevin Mullin and Congresswoman Jackie Speier, valuable shop steward trainings, moving tributes to longtime stewards Sylvia Shepard (Hertz) and Mark Dierking (St. Rose Hospital) who both recently passed away, and Shop Steward of the Year awards.
“I commend and thank each and every one of our more than 500 shop stewards at Local 856 who have stepped into this leadership role to advocate and fight for their fellow Teamsters 856 members’ rights on the job,” said Peter. “This event is just one way we can express our gratitude for their commitment to keeping our union strong.”