Rudy carried his first Union card at the age of 18 as a member of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. After serving as a shop steward, he volunteered as a member organizer and learned to campaign in the South, where he saw firsthand the struggle that workers face when they attempt to unionize under hostile conditions.
Informed by his Catholic upbringing's social justice doctrine and motivated by a sense of stewardship instilled by his father’s lifelong career as a firefighter, he found purpose in building power for workers.
In 2008, he was hired as a full-time Business Representative and Organizer for Teamsters 856. He negotiated private and public sector contracts in Northern California, rising to the rank of Director, and was elected twice as Vice President. During his time at 856, he led organizing campaigns that nearly doubled the size and strength of the local union, which now boasts 17,000 members.
In May of 2018, Rudy was selected by his peers on the SFLC Executive Committee to assist the Council as Interim Executive Director. In August of 2018, Rudy was nominated and elected unanimously by the Council delegates to a two-year term, becoming the first person of color and youngest person elected in the 125-year history of the SFLC.
At the Labor Council, Rudy lead the staff team to assist affiliated unions with political mobilization, contract campaigns, and strategic organizing. Under his leadership, the Council shored up its finances, hired the first-ever Campaign Director, and revamped the political and affiliate support apparatus. Rudy is most proud of the recently-launched Labor in the Schools program, which will bring labor curriculum and union awareness to a new generation of San Franciscans.
He enjoys spending his off time with his family in Oakland, where he resides with his wife, Sarah, and their three children, Zoe (12), Jules (10), Isaac (3), and their English bulldog, Oliver.
Clara Day’s legacy is a testament to the profound impact one individual can make on labor rights and social justice.
As we welcome the start of a new year in San Francisco, we also greet the dawn of a new city. Members of the recently sworn-in administration include a new mayor and newly elected supervisors.
I was a relatively new representative and elected trustee of my teamsters local when I first met Dennis Kelly. At the time, Dennis was president of the SFUSD teachers’ union, United Educators of San Francisco Local 61.
San Francisco’s labor movement has always been about more than just wages and benefits. It’s about building a city where working families can thrive, where public schools and communities receive the support they deserve, and where our elected leaders are held accountable to the people.
The election season is winding down, but you wouldn’t know it given the sheer volume of texts, ads, and mailers flooding your daily life. As I write this, there are 20 days left till Election Day on Tuesday, November 5. By the time you read it, there will be about one week left.
I’ve been a teamster since I was 18 years old. Over the decades, I haven’t agreed with each and every decision announced to the public on behalf of my union by its national headquarters. That’s probably no surprise to anyone.
Much can be said for nurturing relationships with political insiders at City Hall. It’s a strategy that has consistently paid off for unions and labor councils looking to make the presence of their membership felt on the political level in cities like ours.
For me, Independence Day 2024 was one to remember. I traveled to Missouri to celebrate the Fourth of July with extended family.
Gauging the support or lack of support among the public at large for various regional transit and housing measures can be an instructive exercise. As building trades workers, we usually stand to benefit from these types of measures passing; they often mean well-paying and frequently long-term infrastructure work for us to take to the bank.
We just wrapped up another Infrastructure Week across the United States, and, boy, has that fella from Scranton delivered once again.
Before I sing our current president’s praises, though, I have to provide some context. I can’t gloss over the one supreme irony of Infrastructure Week: the fact that it was invented by President Joe Biden’s predecessor.
