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East Bridgewater Public Employees Vote For Teamster Contract
(SOUTH EASTON, Mass.) – Employees of the East Bridgewater Department of Public Works have secured their first Teamster contract in a recent vote. The 14 employees in the department voted unanimously for the three-year contract with Teamsters Local 653.
“We will get much better representation by the Teamsters with our new contract,” said Jay Doherty, an equipment operator for the past 12 years at the DPW. “The Teamsters local union has already done an excellent job in assisting us and I think that anyone else here in the department would agree with me.”
The DPW consists of equipment operators who work on the highway, tree and water maintenance for East Bridgewater which has a population of 17,000. Many have been working for the city for at least 12 years and as many as 40.
“We are a diverse local union and are pleased to be able to represent these dedicated employees,” said Bill Trask, business agent for Teamsters Local 653. “In addition to public services workers, we also represent men and women in the construction, warehouse, trucking and brewery and soft drink industries.”
Jim Smith, the chief water treatment officer for East Bridgewater, has worked for the city for 24 years and is very pleased to be part of the Teamsters.
“They were able to work with city management to win a solid new contract with wage improvements for us,” Smith said. “Business agent Bill Trask and the executive board of the local union have worked hard for us already. We are proud to belong to Teamsters Local 653. We’ve put Teamster stickers on our trucks and started wearing Teamster sweatshirts.”
The East Bridgewater employees join the more than 250,000 public service employees nationwide which are part of the Teamsters Public Services Division.