Local 350 members at Recology in San Bruno, California recently voted overwhelmingly (with only one “no” vote) to ratify a new contract after a long, hard-fought negotiation. 

The five-year agreement ensures members will receive significant wage and pension increases that will bring them to the area standard. The 28-worker unit is comprised of residential and commercial semi-drivers, garbage and recycling drivers, mechanics and loader operators who operate the San Bruno transfer station and provide several other essential services in San Bruno. 

“Our main goal for this contract was to achieve parity with the other contracts in the county. Our members and negotiating committee fought hard to achieve this goal, and it paid off.  As a result, they’ll receive wage increases of around twenty percent over the life of the contract (more than 10 percent in the first two years alone) and a 45 percent increase in pension. In addition to the economic gains, we were able to secure more lenient disciplinary language and language to help improve staffing levels. Our members displayed tremendous solidarity throughout the entire process and ultimately got what they deserved,” said John Bouchard, Secretary-Treasurer of Local 350.

The negotiating committee consisted of shop steward Michael Crudeli, who has been a member since 2005, and Domenic Cresci, who began working for the company in 2010. 

“First, we would like to thank Local 350 for all the hard work they put in on this contract. It was a long battle. But in the end, we ended up with this unitsbiggest bumps in wages and pension. Getting this contract done during a pandemic is a testament to our ‘fight together, win together’ mentality as a local union,” Crudeli said.

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