Pablo Barrera

Pablo Barrera began his career as a Teamster’s union member, working as a warehouseman at the Safeway Distribution Center in Tracy, California. His interest in union work grew during a contentious relationship with the company (then with a subcontractor-run facility, SDMI), which eventually led to a strike. It was during this strike that his leadership skills became evident. Recognizing his people skills and talents, his local’s union leadership hired him as an organizer/assistant business agent. In this role, he developed expertise in strategic organizing, contract negotiations and grievance handling.

Barrera’s language skills and organizing talents were instrumental in the Teamsters’ efforts within the canning and food processing industry across northern California. He successfully organized several competing companies, negotiated first-time contracts and brought hundreds of new members into Teamster Locals within the Food Processing Division.

Later, he joined the largest Teamster local, where he served as a business agent and eventually as the director of organizing. During his tenure, he made significant inroads into Silicon Valley by organizing over 2,000 transit bus drivers who served major tech companies like Apple, Google and Facebook. He also led successful organizing campaigns in the public sector, construction and manufacturing industries.

Since joining the Boilermakers, Barrera has achieved a major milestone by organizing Doppelmayr, a subcontractor for BART that operates the airport extension. This marked the first organized operation of this multinational company in the U.S., and he negotiated its first collective bargaining agreement. Currently, Barrera is leading the Siemens organizing campaign in Sacramento and actively pursuing other leads to expand the Boilermakers’ organizing efforts. His dedication to workers’ rights and his strategic approach to organizing continue to drive the union’s growth and success.