Headline News
Workers At LA Convention Center Join Local 986
On April 4, 2016, workers at AEG, which operates the Los Angeles Convention Center, voted to join Teamsters Local 986. There are 40 workers in the bargaining unit of facilities maintenance workers and the vote was 30 to 1 to join Local 986.
“I started this campaign because we want to be treated fairly and receive fair wages for all the work we do,” said Azur Hernandez, a two-year employee of AEG. “My co-workers and I work very hard, despite not having received a pay increase in over two years. Management gets mad at us, but they don’t want to hire more workers to increase productivity.”
The workers help prepare for major events by setting up chairs and tables and other furniture and equipment.
Local 986 in South El Monte already represents 321 workers at eight companies that do work at the convention center. This latest group was seeking a strong union that would represent them and work toward achieving the goal of having a strong labor agreement like the other eight companies, and they knew they could rely on the Teamsters.
Other issues include a fair seniority system, fair work hours, more full-time work and respect on the job.
“We look forward to negotiating a strong first contract that addresses this group’s issues,” said Chris Griswold, Local 986 Secretary-Treasurer. “They perform a critical job at the convention center.”