Orange, TX – Delivery specialists and wastewater tank drivers at Veolia WTS in Orange, TX, voted unanimously to join Teamsters Local 988 to fight for better working conditions and dignity and respect on the job.

“This victory has been a long time coming,” said Dennis Poulin, who has been a delivery specialist at Veolia for more than 30 years. “After spending decades as a delivery specialist here, I’ve never been prouder than I am today. The fight for a contract starts now, but I can promise that the workers are united and ready to demand what we know we deserve.”

Delivery specialists are critical to Veolia’s business, undergoing extensive training and certification to perform the highly skilled work of delivering hazardous chemicals and other materials to plants and refineries across the southeast. But despite making record profits in recent years, Veolia has cut wages, implemented a two-tier system, and imposed significantly worse lodging accommodations for workers on the road.

Even after Veolia subjected them to weeks of aggressive union-busting propaganda and company mandated captive audience meetings, the delivery specialists fought back and refused to attend. Instead, the workers locked arms and made clear to the company that they were going form a union in order to put a stop Veolia’s anti-worker practices.

“We are thrilled to welcome the delivery specialists at Veolia into Local 988, where they will join more than 8,000 Teamsters across southeast Texas,” said Robert Mele, President of Teamsters Local 988 in Houston. “I’d like to thank General President Sean O’Brien and International Vice President and Tankhaul Division Director Juan Campos for their hard work, dedication, and commitment to rejuvenating our core industries that made this victory possible.”

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