Ballot box photo by Element5 Digital on unsplash.com

Madera County drivers and landfill workers have voted to unionize with Teamsters Local 431.

A group of 30 sanitation workers at Redrock Environmental Group, a service provider for solid waste and recycling services based in Chowchilla, now have the backing of Teamsters Local 431, and will negotiate a contract, according to a news release.

“This is an important victory that will have a real impact for me and my co-workers,” said Cam Vaughn, a Redrock Environmental driver. “Our line of work is dangerous and puts us at serious risk. Now that we’re Teamsters we will fight for a strong first contract with better safety standards, pay, and health benefits.”

This group is the first at Redrock Environmental to organize with the Teamsters. The new unit joins tens of thousands of sanitation workers represented by the Teamsters Solid Waste and Recycling Division.

Teamsters Local 431 represents over 27,000 members in the Fresno and Madera Counties.

Redrock Environmental is owned by waste and recycling company Caglia Environmental.

The workers provide services for thousands of residential and commercial customers and operate the Fairmead Landfill and the North Fork Transfer Station.

According to the National Labor Relations Board, a total of 28 Ballots were counted with 17 voting to join, and 11 against. 

“We respect our employees’ right to make this decision, and we value the hard work they do every day to serve our communities. At the same time, we believe we’ve built a workplace that prioritizes safety, competitive pay, and strong benefits, and we’re proud of that record,”said Richard Caglia, owner of Caglia Environmental.

Caglia said he believes that the workers who voted “no” are disappointed that others decided that working directly with management and ownership would been “the better move.”

“As we move into this next phase, our focus will be on having a constructive dialogue that keeps our operations reliable for customers while ensuring our employees continue to have opportunities to succeed,” Caglia said.