Teamster Spotlight: Member Making an Impact in Her Community
Teresa Preciado is an 11-year County employee at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center. Since joining, Preciado has not only helped patients recuperate by providing vital rehabilitating services as an Occupational Therapist but has also helped other coworkers with representational knowledge as a union Steward.
Prior to becoming involved and active within her union, Preciado felt defeated and trapped.
“I wanted to make sure I kept my supervisors accountable for the treatment I received on the job,” Preciado said. “I felt manipulated and taken for granted.”
For Preciado, family means everything. As a mom of two boys, she thanks her union for fighting for secure wages and being better protected.
After becoming involved, Preciado then decided to become a Steward. Over time, she learned the importance of the role and how to develop worker power while on and off her job – to inspire other hard-working employees.
“I couldn’t let my coworkers get shortchanged,” Preciado said. “I learned so many things so that I could empower my coworkers and myself that way they no longer had to be treated poorly.”
As an active Steward, Preciado has helped our union grow by educating new employees about the importance of a union. Through her experience as a San Bernardino County employee, Preciado has helped guide the new employees at New Employee Orientation and has signed up hundreds of new Teamsters since joining the NEO team.
During San Bernardino County negotiations, Preciado served on the Bargaining Team that helped build one of the most lucrative contracts County employees have ever seen. She formed an integral part of the negotiation process – representing several of her coworkers at the hospital and County-wide.
The ratification of the most recent County contract will not just help shape her future, but her family’s future too.
“The ratification has created more stability for my family and I,” Preciado said. “It has given me more security and has allowed me to create a better future for my boys and me.”
Overtime, Preciado said she has not just gained professional knowledge but also a second family who has built one another up.