Date: April 1, 2004
© Copyright 2004, The International Brotherhood of  Teamsters.
Originally published at http://www.teamster.org/04news/hn_040401_3.htm
Republished by permission.

Massachusetts Senator Counters Waste Management’s Lies

Lawmaker Answers Workers’ Questions in Organizing Campaign

Workers at Waste Management in Woburn, Massachusetts, who are seeking a strong voice on the job, got a major boost Wednesday when a state Senator came on to company property to urge workers to vote to join the Teamsters.

Around 5 a.m. Wednesday, a defiant Senator Jarrett T. Barrios, who is Latino, challenged management to allow him to talk to Spanish-speaking workers during a “captive audience” meeting held by the company to manipulate workers. The Senator wanted to counter the company’s anti-union views and urge the workers to vote for forming a union. Waste Management hired an anti-union law firm to conduct the meetings.

“It was surprising to learn that an anti-union firm hired by Waste Management would employ scare tactics to try and persuade Latino employees not to vote in favor of unionization,” said Barrios, a Democrat from Cambridge. “These employees work long, hard hours and deserve the opportunity to protect their jobs and benefits through Teamster membership.”

“The company eventually threw Barrios off its property after about 45 minutes, but not before Barrios was able to speak to more than a dozen workers,” said Glenn Teolis, an International Union organizer. “The workers trust Barrios and they have a lot of respect for him. Last Sunday, the Senator met with about 10 Spanish-speaking workers at one of the worker’s homes and answered their questions.”

“The Senator went above and beyond the call of duty,” added Luis Cintron, another International Union organizer who worked closely with Latino workers. “We appreciate his efforts to counter the company’s lies.”

Workers will vote on Teamster representation on Friday, April 2.

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