Don't be surprised if a Teamster comes knocking on your door this fall to chat about soda in San Francisco

Don't be surprised if a Teamster comes knocking on your door this fall to chat about soda in San Francisco
http://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/Mayor-s-short-term-elevator-r...

The union, which represents 110,000 workers in Northern California, vehemently opposes Proposition E on the city's Nov. 4 ballot. It would levy a 2-cents-per-ounce tax on sodas and other sugary drinks, and the money raised would go to children's nutrition and physical education programs.

But the Teamsters say the tax would cost them hundreds of jobs in bottling plants and driving delivery trucks. And it seems that when the Teamsters speak, lots of other unions listen. The campaign to defeat the soda tax has also won support from the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 5, Plumbers Local 38 and the San Francisco Building Trades Council.

Larry Mazzola Sr., president of the Building Trades Council, said his group was persuaded by the Teamsters.

"I haven't read the initiative, but they claim it's poorly written," he said. "They're, of course, in favor of health for people and that kind of stuff. But they claim it's over 700 jobs for them."

Rome Aloise, president of the local Teamsters union, said now's not the time to jeopardize well-paying union jobs that come with health benefits and pensions. He also called the tax paternalistic and regressive, and said it won't change people's soda habits anyway.

So if people will keep drinking soda, won't his workers keep their jobs bottling and delivering the soda?

"Well, yeah, but why take the risk?" he said.

The Yes on E side has its share of unions supporting it too - including teachers, nurses and a different chapter of United Food and Commercial Workers. (Guess they're not so united, huh?)

The strong feelings on both sides made for an interesting debate at the San Francisco Labor Council, which wound up taking a neutral position on the soda tax. According to Labor Council Director Tim Paulson, "Democracy worked pretty well at the Labor Council on this one."