Teamster Victory at ATM!
Before they went on strike, workers at ATM Enterprises made only $8 to $10 an hour. They won a good union contract, union benefits, and a significant raise.Warehouse workers at ATM Enterprises had no union and were making $8 to $10 an hour with no health benefits. Then they decided to unite with the Teamsters to win a better future. It paid off, big time.
In their first union contract, Local 805’s newest members won wage increases of as much as $5 an hour, union healthcare, and more!
The victory was a united Teamster effort. Workers at ATM went on strike along with movers and drivers at Trucking Office Product Systems (TOPS).
The TOPS workers won a strong contract with Teamsters Local 814. And the warehouse Teamsters at ATM joined Local 805.
The grueling strike last five weeks. “The union told us ‘Stay strong and stay together and you can win this thing,’” said new Local 805 shop steward Kenny Yuen. “I’m glad we did because we got what we deserved.”
A Striker’s Story
By Kenny Yuen
Before the strike, we had nothing. Most guys were making $8 to $10.
Now we’ve won a good health plan, paid vacation, paid holidays, and a seniority system. The guys at the lower end making in the $8 to $10 range all got a big raise up to $13 an hour. A few of us who had been there for several years and were already making $13 got 3 percent raises.
We were out on the picket line for five weeks. There were 20 of us and almost everyone held strong. We had guys there on the picket line 24 hours a day. We took turns in 12 hour shifts. We followed the trucks and everybody pitched in.
The union did a great job of going to the customers and letting them know what was going on and why we were on strike. Some customers dropped the company because of the strike and when a big customer threatened to pull their account, they had no choice but to settle with us.
It was a tough fight. There were times we thought we weren’t going to win. The company sent us a letter two weeks into the strike threatening that we’d be
terminated and replaced.
The company was digging in. But the union kept supporting us. They told us ‘Stay strong and stay together and you can win this thing.’
I’m glad we did because we got what we deserved.
Kenny Yuen is the new Local 805 shop steward at ATM Enterprises.
