What TEAMSTERS LOCAL 853 does

Teamsters Local 853 is a chartered local union of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) and a nonprofit labor organization representing approximately 13,000+ members across more than 300 employers in Northern California. Its geographic footprint spans the Greater Bay Area, extends to the Oregon border, covers the Central Coast, and reaches toward Sacramento, with physical offices in Oakland (headquarters), San Jose, and Watsonville. The local organizes workers across a broad horizontal range of industries including food service distribution (SYSCO, US Foods, Performance Food Group, UNFI), retail (Costco, Safeway), manufacturing (Gillig, CertainTeed, Westlake Royal Stone Solutions, Steeler Inc.), transportation (school bus, paratransit, freight), dairy and beverage production, and public services. Recent organizing wins have extended into non-traditional verticals such as cannabis, zookeepers, microtransit, mall cleaning, wastewater sanitation, and nonprofit human services.

The local's core service is collective bargaining: negotiating multi-year labor agreements covering wages, health care benefits, pension contributions, workplace safety protections, grievance procedures, and job security on behalf of its members. It maintains a bilingual English/Spanish communications infrastructure and an API Caucus to support diverse member populations, and delivers representation through approximately eleven business agents assigned to geographic and industry portfolios. Services are administered via direct worksite representation by stewards and agents, supplemented by member resources including workers compensation guidance, paid leave information, scholarships (James R. Hoffa Memorial Scholarship Fund), member discounts, and political action via the DRIVE program.

The union operates a subscription-style revenue model funded by recurring monthly membership dues from represented workers; specific dues amounts are not publicly disclosed. Pricing value is articulated through quantified wage and benefit premiums relative to non-union workers in California (11.2% higher wages, 96% vs. 69% employer-provided health insurance, 54% vs. 8% pension access). The local's go-to-market is community-led: worksite visits, organizing campaigns, member referrals, and member-to-member communication via website, email newsletter, Facebook, and Instagram. Following a 2023-2024 leadership transition to Secretary Treasurer Steve Beck and President Steven Lua, Local 853 has pursued an aggressive expansion strategy, securing landmark contracts (notably SYSCO's first-ever regional food service agreement) and organizing in new arenas that most peer locals do not pursue.

Name

TEAMSTERS LOCAL 853

Legal name

Teamsters Local Union 853

Website

https://teamsters853.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Teamsters Local 853 is a nonprofit IBT-affiliated labor union representing 13,000+ members across 300+ employers in Northern California, providing collective bargaining, contract enforcement, organizing, and member advocacy services from offices in Oakland, San Jose, and Watsonville.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Oakland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Unions typically generate revenue through recurring membership dues paid by represented workers. The union negotiates contracts on behalf of members and provides services including legal representation, health care benefits administration, pension management, and workplace advocacy.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Teamsters Local 853 is a chartered local union of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) that represents workers through collective bargaining, contract enforcement, organizing, and member advocacy. It provides legal representation, health care and pension benefits administration, workplace safety resources, grievance handling, and political action support to approximately 13,000 members across more than 300 employers in Northern California (Greater Bay Area, Central Coast, Sacramento region, extending to the Oregon border). The local actively organizes non-union workers and negotiates collective bargaining agreements covering wages, health care, pensions, and working conditions.

Product overview

Teamsters Local 853 is a labor union, not a technology company. As a local union of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, it provides labor representation services including collective bargaining, contract negotiations, member organizing, workplace advocacy, and member benefits administration. The organization represents approximately 13,000 members across more than 300 employers in the Greater Bay Area and Central Coast regions of California. Services include health care and retirement benefits, workers compensation guidance, safety and health resources, paid leave information, scholarships (James R. Hoffa Memorial Scholarship Fund), member discounts, and political action through DRIVE.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Teamsters API Caucus: A caucus group for Asian and Pacific Islander Teamsters members focused on leadership development, organizing, and community outreach.

Products and services

• Collective Bargaining Representation Core service providing collective bargaining on behalf of members covering wages, health care, pensions, and working conditions across 300+ employers. Available to union members.
• Contract Negotiation Services Negotiation of collective bargaining agreements and contract enforcement for represented workers, including first contract negotiations for newly organized groups.
• Health Care and Retirement Benefits Administration
• Workers Compensation Assistance
• Workplace Safety Advocacy
• Member Discounts and Privileges
• James R. Hoffa Memorial Scholarship Fund
• DRIVE Political Action Program
• Organizing Campaigns
• Paid Leave Information and Advocacy

Quantifiable outcome

• Union members in California earn 11.2% higher wages than non-union workers
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers24 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Service Employees International Union (SEIU): One of the largest labor unions in North America, representing workers in healthcare support, property services, and public services — directly overlapping Local 853's newer organizing arenas such as Latinas Contra Cancer and Township Retail Services mall cleaning. Competes for the same unorganized workers through similar dues-funded representation models.
• UNITE HERE: Labor union representing workers in food service, beverage production, and hospitality — directly comparable industries to Local 853's Gatorade, S. Martinelli, and Del Mar Foods bargaining units. Competes for organizing rights in adjacent food and beverage production workplaces across Northern California.
• Laborers' International Union of North America (LiUNA): Large labor union organizing construction, sanitation, and service workers — directly overlapping Local 853's recent organizing success at Oro Loma Sanitary District. Operates the same dues-funded representation model and competes for unorganized workers in adjacent public services and waste management workplaces.
• United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW): Major industrial union with significant overlap in represented industries — grocery retail (Safeway), food processing, and food distribution — directly competing with Local 853 in some workplaces. Operates the same collective bargaining and dues-funded business model across overlapping geographies and employers.
• Teamsters Local 350 (San Jose): A direct sister local in the same IBT system covering adjacent Northern California territory (South Bay), representing many of the same employer categories and competing for organizing rights at the same non-union shops. Operates an essentially identical collective bargaining and dues-funded business model.
• Operating Engineers Local Union No. 3: Another large Northern California-based building trades union with overlapping geographic jurisdiction, multi-office infrastructure, and multi-employer collective bargaining. Comparable as a peer Bay Area labor organization competing for the same regional workers and political influence, though focused on construction and heavy equipment rather than transportation and food distribution.

Broad incumbents

• United Auto Workers (UAW): Major industrial union recently expanding into organizing white-collar and adjacent sectors. Comparable as a peer labor organization pursuing aggressive new organizing campaigns and precedent-setting contracts, though anchored in manufacturing rather than transportation and food distribution.
• AFL-CIO: National labor federation that includes the Teamsters and coordinates political action, organizing support, and policy advocacy across affiliated unions. Comparable as the umbrella membership organization shaping the U.S. labor movement in which Local 853 operates, though it does not directly bargain individual contracts.
• International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT): The parent international union and the broader Teamsters organization to which Local 853 is chartered. Comparable as the national body governing hundreds of locals, setting per-capita structures, and coordinating cross-local bargaining strategy — but operates at a vastly larger scale than any single local.

Regional players

• California Nurses Association / National Nurses Organizing Committee: AFL-CIO-affiliated union representing healthcare workers, with overlapping interest in healthcare support organizing similar to Local 853's Latinas Contra Cancer campaign. Comparable as a peer organized-labor organization pursuing aggressive contract campaigns, though focused primarily on healthcare rather than transportation and food.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/team853
• Instagraminstagram.com/teamsters853
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/teamsters-local-853

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about TEAMSTERS LOCAL 853