Headline News
Foodservice Drivers Join Teamsters Local 630
(CITY OF INDUSTRY, Calif.) – About 30 foodservice drivers voted to join Teamsters Local 630 in Los Angeles, Calif. late last month. The drivers work for Jacmar Foodservice Distribution, a major regional food distributor, at its Southern California terminal. The vote was more than 2-to-1 in favor of joining the union.
“We decided it was time to come together to fight for a better life for our families,” said Esteban Ochoa, a Jacmar driver who was active in the organizing effort. “We knew that the company was going to do everything it could to resist our organizing campaign, but with solidarity we held together and won.”
Jacmar is a $630 million company that services food chains throughout the region. Concerned about pay and conditions that are below industry standards, the drivers first approached the Teamsters four months ago. They also sought Teamster representation to address the lack of benefits and respect for drivers at Jacmar.
The company waged a strong anti-union campaign, holding individual and captive audience meetings and hiring anti-union consultants to ride along in the drivers’ trucks to discourage them from organizing. Local 630 members from other foodservice companies like like FreshPoint, Unified Grocers, Alta Dena, Roma Foods, US Foods, Sysco and Vons stood with Jacmar drivers on election day, helping to educate them about the union.
“We are proud to welcome Jacmar drivers into the Teamsters union and we’re eager to negotiate a strong contract that brings them up to industry standards,” said Lou Villalvazo, Secretary-Treasurer of Local 630.
“Our local continues to be engaged in organizing across the food service industry – from national companies like Roma and Vistar to regional ones like Jacmar. We are committed to protecting contracts in the industry through organizing and giving workers and their families a better life,” Villalvazo added.