The 2016 National & Alamo Car Rental bargaining team stood together to negotiate a strong contract.

Teamsters 856 members at National and Alamo car rental ratified a new four-year agreement earlier this month. The new contract, which covers nearly 150 members working at the rental agencies’ Bay Area airport and downtown San Francisco locations, includes yearly raises, including increases tied to years of service, fully paid parking at airport locations, uniform cleaning allowances, cross training to allow for more overtime opportunities, and more.

“We got some really good things,” said Teamsters 856 Steward & Bargaining Team Member Sue Souza. Souza, who works the San Jose Airport location as a lead customer return agent and has been with the company for 18 years, said she’s particularly happy with the raises that acknowledge years of service. Prior to this agreement, longevity with company was not considered in terms of wages.

“This is a better raise than we’ve ever gotten,” she said.

Teamsters 856 President Mike Lagomarsino, who chaired negotiations, along with Staff Attorney Susanna Farber and Representative Liliana Cortez, credits the rank and file bargaining team’s dedication for the strong contract.

“We had a bigger bargaining team than we’ve ever had before, and their insight, expertise and knowledge made a tremendous difference at the table,” said Lagomarsino.