Teamsters

The Teamsters worked with canneries in Watsonville through the teamster hierarchy:

• The local union, Local 912
• Joint Council 7, which oversaw teamsters in Northern California
• The Western Conference of Teamsters, which oversaw teamsters regionally
• The International Brotherhood of Teamsters, which oversaw teamsters in the United States and Canada

Richard King ran Local 912 from 1967 to 1985.  He owned a bar down from the plant and often negotiated contracts over drinks with owners.  Alex Ybrrolaza from Joint Council 7 described King as "despised by most of his membership" and absent and unsupportive during the strike (Ybarrolaza quoted in Shapiro, pgs. 68-69).  Ybarrolaza would exercise Teamster influence behind the scenes for the duration of the strike.  Sergio Lopez was elected to replace King in 1985, and he ran Local 912 through the strike and until 2001.

In his interview Lopez talks about the solidarity of the strikers and pressures on Local 912, particularly threats by the Teamsters to put the local union in trusteeship and end the strike.

In his interview, Ybarrolaza describes how he came to Watsonville and working at the Teamsters convention to get a resolution passed supporting the strike even though it did not have the full support of the Teamsters. The resolution was to boycott Wells Fargo Bank, which was supporting the cannery owners.

Oral history Lopez   larc.oh.shapiro_43  clip:  09:00-14:08, 43:00-46:33, 47:26-47:51

Oral history Ybarrolaza  larc.oh.shapiro_08  clip:  33:55-35:25, 1:37:43-1:45:46  (clean up audio if possible)

Flyer or newsletter from the Teamsters