Feb 17, 2023
Teamsters Local 322, SEIU Virginia 512 Seek to Represent Public Servants
(RICHMOND, Va.) – At a joint press conference outside of Richmond City Hall, city workers, along with representatives of Teamsters Local 322 and the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Virginia 512, announced that workers employed by the city have filed petitions to be represented by the two unions.
“This is a momentous, historic day for the City of Richmond, and we couldn’t be prouder to have the opportunity to represent the Richmond City workers,” said Brian Peyton, President of Teamsters Local 322.
“It is past time for Richmond city workers to have a real voice on the job, to be treated with respect; to receive real wage increases and real benefits,” said Dwayne Johnson, Teamsters Local 322 Organizer and Recording Secretary. “A union contract is the only way to do that.”
After an extensive political organizing campaign, collective bargaining rights were extended to Richmond City workers through an ordinance passed by the city council in July 2022. The two petitions for representation were filed separately. Electricians, equipment operators, drivers, and other workers in the skilled trades are seeking to be represented by Local 322. Administrative and professional workers are seeking to be represented by SEIU Virginia 512. Now that the petitions have been certified, elections for representation will be held at a later date.
“In order for us to have the American dream, to have – as the mayor says – ‘one city, our city,’ we need to be able to have this voting process,” said Mavis Green, a Dept. of Public Works staff member and supporter of the Teamsters Union. “We need to be able to sit down with the people that are making the decisions. We need to be able to have a voice and say, ‘we need health care, we need better wages,’ all of that.”
Based in Richmond, Teamsters Local 322 represents over 1,600 workers in a wide variety of fields throughout the city and surrounding communities.