American Automobile Association Declares War on Middle Class Jobs

(SAN FRANCISCO) – Teamsters Local 665 is condemning the American Automobile Association (AAA) for closing branches in Yreka and Stockton, Calif. amid negotiations, likely terminating the jobs of insurance sales agents who are currently bargaining for their first union contract.

“These workers chose to organize with us because AAA is outsourcing high-paying, middle-class careers into churn-and-burn, low-paying, high-turnover telemarketing jobs,” said Tony Delorio, Local 665 Secretary-Treasurer. “AAA needs to stop acting like a hedge fund and start acting like a membership association. Do right by the people who service your members, sit down and negotiate a contract.”

Ever since the Northern California agents voted to join Local 665, AAA has been gradually eliminating positions and shifting the work to a call center in Utah. In addition to the branch closures, AAA has pushed for an unreasonable 30 percent compensation reduction during negotiations, stopped all hiring in the bargaining unit and targeted union supporters. AAA’s anti-union activity has even led the National Labor Relations Board to find merit in over a dozen unfair labor practices filed against the organization.

Angie Matthews is one of the AAA sales agents and a member of the negotiating committee.

“We used to be called heroes,” Matthews said. “We used to be honored and respected, and the members were also. We are a membership organization, but AAA leadership has forgotten that and displayed that to the public. The members should be outraged.”

Teamsters Local 665 represents over 5,000 members throughout the Bay Area in a wide variety of industries. For more information, go to https://www.teamsters665.org/.

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