Local 174 Members in Action

October 19, 2023

Congratulations to ActiveUSA carhaul Teamster Bill Carlone on achieving an astonishing 2,000,000 safe miles with the same employer! Bill is an amazing success story and truly represents the safety-focused professionalism of Teamster drivers.

Bill started in 1995 when the company was called Dallas Mavis, and stuck around even as the company changed ownership several times. Whenever times were lean and he found himself laid off, he would quickly get a job at another Teamster employer — meaning that after his long career, he has worked just about every driving job there is in our Local!

A Teamster through and through, he looks forward to retiring in a few more years to enjoy the fruits of a career well spent.

Amazing work, Brother Carlone!

Essential Teamsters on the front lines! These Local 174 Waste Management Seattle drivers have to do their jobs no matter what. Thank you all for the hard work you do for our communities!

January 31, 2020

Teamsters honor SEIU 1199NW picket lines at Swedish Medical Centers throughout the region

As the nurses and caregivers of Swedish Medical Centers officially end their strike after 72 hours on the street, Teamsters Local 174 would like to recognize and thank our members for their proud display of solidarity with the striking workers. Nearly 8,000 members of SEIU 1199NW walked off the job Tuesday morning in an Unfair Labor Practice strike, as their employer continued to refuse to bargain in good faith or address workers’ concerns – the largest of which is severe understaffing, and wages that make it difficult to attract workers to fix the staffing problems. Though their strike is over, the fight continues — and so must our support.

As workers at Swedish Medical Center First Hill walked out the front doors toward the picket line on Tuesday, they were immediately greeted by the Teamsters Local 174 tractor-trailer, lit up and parked on the shoulder of Broadway Avenue. The truck remained in place throughout the day and night, bringing comfort to the picketing nurses and caregivers.

Meanwhile, the truck was far from the only support provided by Local 174. Staff and members were present on picket lines in Edmonds, Issaquah, First Hill, and Redmond, marching with the picketers. Throughout the entire length of the strike, the striking workers’ spirits were bolstered by the sound of air horns, blasted by Teamster drivers passing the picket lines as they went about their work. And even more crucially, members of Local 174 who would normally provide trash pickup, package delivery, food delivery, and beverage delivery to the various struck facilities opted instead to honor the picket lines, refusing to service locations where the picket lines were active.

“True solidarity isn’t just talking the talk, it’s walking the walk,” said Teamsters Local 174 Secretary-Treasurer Rick Hicks. “We are proud of our members for truly doing everything they could to support these striking workers as they faced the daunting prospect of walking off the job to fight for a strong contract.”

“Before the strike, we told these hardworking nurses and caregivers they would have our support, and we are glad to say we delivered on that promise,” Hicks continued. “Any time working men and women find themselves in a tough fight, they know they can count on the members of Teamsters Local 174 to help them win it.”

Founded in 1909, Teamsters Local 174 represents 8,600 working men and women in Seattle and the surrounding areas. “Like” us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TeamstersLocal174.

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January 21, 2020

Cadman Shop Steward leads team of volunteers to bring supplies to residents stranded by snow and fallen trees

While most of us on the west side of the Cascades were only briefly inconvenienced by last week’s snowfall, the impact was dire for those living along Highway 2 in the Skykomish area. Fallen trees led to the closure of Highway 2 for days on end, effectively cutting those residents off from the rest of the world. And as their food, water, and fuel supplies dwindled, it wasn’t the government, but their neighbors who rallied to support them. And among those brave volunteers was our own Local 174 member and Cadman Shop Steward Dave Mergenthaler, sacrificing his time, money, and even risking his safety to help out a community in need.

“They opened the highway up just for us,” Mergenthaler says, describing a convoy of just a handful of brave individuals who had put together a relief plan, gone shopping for essentials, and embarked on their journey from Gold Bar to reach the stranded residents. “We told the police we were going through no matter what, so they better help us. We had three or four snowplows going in front of us, and it got pretty hairy at times, with trees still falling from the snow. Thankfully WSDOT and WSP were great.”

The goal of the convoy was to bring relief to those stranded when Highway 2 was closed on Sunday night. Many residents were stranded for seven days or longer – including retirees in need of oxygen, medications, and fuel to run generators. Many residents weren’t even able to make contact with the Fire Department, because they had no power and phone lines were down.

“We went house to house, community to community, to make sure everyone was okay,” Mergenthaler said. “At one point, a bunch of volunteers dug out a house where the people had been trapped for ten days. We were out there Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.”

The residents, of course, were extremely grateful for their neighbors’ sacrifice. “We got so many hugs, so many people crying. Just couldn’t believe it was us that stepped up to help, rather than the Red Cross or the government … but nope, it was just neighbors from down the road.”

For those who know Merganthaler – as a person and as a Teamster Shop Steward – this great act of sacrifice comes as no surprise. “People that know me, know that if somebody needs help, I’ll help them, no matter what,” Mergenthaler said simply.

“We are so proud of Dave for making this heroic sacrifice to help people in need, without a single moment’s hesitation,” said Teamsters Local 174 Secretary-Treasurer Rick Hicks. “As Teamsters, we live and die by solidarity, and it is wonderful to see our members practicing those same values in their communities. Dave stepped up when no one else would, and we are extremely lucky to have him on our team.”

Founded in 1909, Teamsters Local 174 represents 8,600 working men and women in Seattle and the surrounding areas. “Like” us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TeamstersLocal174.

This video stars hundreds of active members of Local 174, along with photos of countless hundreds more, in order to celebrate 110 years of the strongest Local Union in the Teamsters!

Hosted on our website:

http://teamsters174.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/110th-ANNIVERSARY-VIDEO.wmv

Embedded via YouTube:

December 14, 2018

Local 174 had an incredible year of victories! Thanks to all our members for your trust and support. Here’s to another great year in 2019!

March 19, 2018

Last Wednesday was not the first time garbage man Chris Jones has been called upon to help a stranger in need – but it was definitely his most dramatic rescue, as he assisted an elderly man while working his route. His assistance may well have saved the man’s life.

Jones, who has been a Local 174 Teamster working at Recology/Cleanscapes for almost three years, was out in Issaquah working his way through his route when he spotted an older man staggering through a rock garden in front of a house. Jones’s gut told him to pause a moment and watch the man to see if he needed help, and it’s a good thing he did: moments later, the man stumbled on the rocks and fell hard, hitting his face on the edge of the house’s front porch.

Jones immediately sprang into action, setting his brake and getting out of his garbage truck to help the fallen man. “I helped him up, and was just talking to him, trying to keep him coherent,” Jones said. He helped him up onto the front porch of the house and into a chair, then ran to grab his phone to call an ambulance.

The confused man refused to stay in the chair, however, and while Jones was talking to the 911 dispatcher, the man stood up and fell over a second time, this time hitting the back of his head. Jones immediately put the man back into the chair and stayed with him to prevent him from getting up again until paramedics arrived.

Firefighters arrived on the scene first, and after playing musical chairs with Jones’s garbage truck, the paramedics were able to reach the man and assess his condition.

“They were happy I was there,” Jones said about the paramedics, as the man’s confusion and instability would likely have led to further injury if Jones had not been there to help.

In typical Teamster fashion, Jones is humble about his contributions. “It was no big deal. I help when I can.”

“We believe all trash collectors are unsung heroes, but Chris Jones truly went above the call of duty in this situation and we are proud of him,” said Teamsters Local 174 Secretary-Treasurer Rick Hicks. “Not only does he work hard every day doing a job society depends on, but when a stranger needs help, he gives that help without hesitation. Great job, Chris!”

Founded in 1909, Teamsters Local 174 represents 7,200 working men and women in the Seattle area. “Like” us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TeamstersLocal174.

March 6, 2018

In honor of Women’s History Month, let’s celebrate the strong Teamster women in Local 174. There are Teamster women working in every division, at just about every company in our Local — from dispatchers to drivers, part-timers, full-timers, women hauling concrete and freight, driving dump trucks and heavy equipment. There’s nothing Teamster women can’t do. We also have strong women on staff and on the Executive Board of Local 174. We are proud of that diversity and will continue to encourage more women to join our ranks!

Teamsters Local 174 has had an incredible 2017. See for yourself in this video slide show of our members and accomplishments!

September 7, 2017

Check out this video featuring our members at the Seattle School District, who have been working hard throughout the summer to get Seattle Schools all ready for a new year. Thanks to our members for their hard work and dedication! Seattle kids appreciate it, and so do we.

May 23, 2017

For Chris Tyrolt, a five-year Teamster driver at Peninsula Truck Lines, the day was progressing just like any other on the route he had been driving every day for a year and a half. After making a delivery to a customer in Lakewood, Tyrolt parked his truck and began to eat his lunch.

Suddenly, all hell broke loose.

“I saw this young kid run past my truck, full speed, and when I looked where he was running, this guy was just on the ground,” Tyrolt said. “He looked like he was maybe having a seizure, legs and arms up in the air, foaming at the mouth.”

In a situation that would have left many of us frozen with panic, Tyrolt sprang into action. He ran over to the man and assessed the situation. “He obviously wasn’t breathing, and his eyes were totally glazed over,” Tyrolt said.

He quickly ordered one person to call 911 while he started doing chest compressions on the man. Tyrolt had previously been trained in first aid, but that was many years ago. He was operating mainly on instinct at this point. (more…)

January 13, 2017

This amazing video shows Local 174 members at Boeing transporting huge aircraft pieces on the freeway.