When a proposal to overhaul San Francisco’s waste collection process became a threat to Local 350 members and to the city they serve, Bob Morales and his team went to work.

Morales, Secretary-Treasurer of Local 350 who also serves as Director of the Teamsters Solid Waste, Recycling and Related Industries Division, worked hand-in-hand with allies from labor, the community and across the political spectrum to soundly defeat the measure, Proposition A. In fact, 77 percent of the city’s voters rejected the proposal.

“Proposition A would have severely hurt our members who work at the current waste company, Recology, and would have hurt their families,” Morales said. “Plus, San Francisco has the most successful recycling program in the country, with a recycling rate of nearly 80 percent, and city residents are happy with their service. So this would have had a huge negative impact on residents and businesses in the city.”

Morales said the community and political support was outstanding, especially the support from the San Francisco Labor Council. In addition, 99 percent of the city’s elected officials, including the local Republican Party, opposed Proposition A.

“This measure was a direct attack on our members who collect the garbage and recycling,” Morales said. “Like the more than 30,000 Teamsters across the country who do this job, they work hard every day performing one of the most dangerous jobs in our communities. Recology is a local company that is owned entirely by its employees, so this situation here is unique. The company is a major job provider and it has some of the best labor practices. This proposition would have destroyed the strong bond between Recology and its customers. Fortunately, city voters realized this and firmly rejected Proposition A.”

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