Print Industry Workers Unite for Strong Representation, Real Voice on the Job

(SALINAS, Calif.) – On Thursday, 110 WestRock workers in Salinas, Calif., voted overwhelmingly, 88-3, for representation with Teamsters Local 856, joining a growing national movement of workers in the printing industry seeking strong union representation. 

“I want to congratulate WestRock workers for standing together and making their voices heard with this resounding vote to become Teamsters. These workers wanted to be part of a fighting union that would listen and give them a real voice,” said Peter Finn, Secretary-Treasurer of Teamsters Local 856 and Teamsters Western Region International Vice President. “The Teamsters are the home for workers in this industry, and we are proud to welcome this committed group to Local 856. Now, they will continue to make their voices heard as we take our fight to the bargaining table to win a strong contract.” 

The newest members of Local 856 manufacture corrugated boxes for the produce industry. 

WestRock workers said they organized with the Teamsters to gain strong representation and a real voice on the job. 

“We gave our union brothers and sisters the courage and knowledge to stand up to the company and the PPPWU, a so-called union that only saw us as a dollar sign, not as the union brothers and sisters that we are,” said Jesus Rodriguez-Ochoa, a mechanic at WestRock who helped lead the worker-led organizing drive. “I am so proud of everyone who stood together to fight back against the company and the PPPWU to secure a better future for everyone involved, for generations to come. We now have a voice. We now have a real union. We have the Teamsters.”

Founded in 1903, the Teamsters Union represents 1.2 million hardworking people in the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico. Visit Teamster.org to learn more and follow us on Twitter @Teamsters and on Facebook at Facebook.com/teamsters.

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