Teamsters Call On Board to Keep Novato Water Treatment Jobs With the District

Wastewater Treatment Plant Work Should Not Be Contracted Out

NOVATO, Calif., July 14 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today, Teamsters Local 315
expressed its opposition to the Novato Sanitary District Board's proposal to
outsource jobs at the wastewater treatment plant to an outside contractor.
Such a move negatively impacts current district employees and places critical
municipal services in the hands of an entity whose primary loyalty is to its
owners, rather than the community.

"There is a misconception that our union approves of the board's plan to hire
an outside contractor to run the plant," said Dale Robbins,
Secretary-Treasurer of Teamsters Local 315 in Martinez, California. "This
could not be further from the truth. It is the union's position that the
board's first priority should be to keep these jobs within the district.
However, if the board decides to proceed with this ill-advised plan to hire an
outside contractor, we have negotiated an agreement to ensure that the jobs at
the wastewater treatment plant remain union, thus providing some guarantee
that wages and benefits will not be needlessly slashed.

"Furthermore the hiring of a private contractor to operate the plant means
that the displaced public employee workforce will be unable to continue making
contributions to their current public sector pension and retiree healthcare
plans. This is unfair to the current employees who are just a few years from
retirement, and may now be forced to start over with a new fund and a new
employer. In this job market is it really fair or essential for the NSD Board
to take these positions and place them in the hands of an outside contractor
who has no loyalty to the community?" Robbins said.

SOURCE Teamsters Local 315

Dale Robbins of Teamsters Local 315, +1-925-228-2246