One Big THANKS to Teamsters Local 853

Last week's One Big BBQ for the One Big BANG campaign was One Big SUCCESS. You can read the details on onebigbang.org or mediaworkers.org -- and probably have done that already.

While the food was great, the clown entertaining and the crowd fantastic, One Big HIGHLIGHT was the letter Teamsters Local 853 delivered from its top officer, Rome Aloise.

The letter pledges "the full support of Teamsters Local 853" in the organizing effort and in the recently announced alliance between the Northern California Media Workers Guild and the San Jose Newspaper Guild. It notes that the Teamsters have had productive relationships with Hearst and Media News, and it acknowledges common challenges, including organizing the Transcontinental printing plant being built by the Chronicle.

"Our negotiations and organizing can only be helped if we all stand together," Aloise writes. "I want you to know that Teamsters 853 will stand with your Guild units in seeking a productive future for us all."

Thanks for the support, Rome (and Chuck Davis and Dave Ellis, who showed up in the Big Green Teamstermobile to deliver the letter and some Krispy Kreme donuts). It's good to know you've got our backs. We've got yours, too. We'll support your efforts to keep (or make) the Bay Area's newspapers union papers.

We firmly believe that union papers are better papers. You have our pledge that we'll work with you to ensure that Bay Area newspapers are filled with news and advertising produced by union workers, are printed by union workers and are delivered by union workers.