In Memoriam

Don Barbe

1950-2023

The reflections by those who worked with Former business agent and wonderful friend, Don Barbe, passed away last year on Christmas Eve day at noon. I was with him as he took his last breath and ended his painful struggle with esoph- ageal cancer. He was incredibly brave throughout the process.

His wife Ann preceded him in death in February from a sudden heart attack, and his beloved dog Peanut died just before Don went into the hos- pital. And yet, Don kept up his spirits, winning the hearts of hospital staff who made sure he was kept comfortable while in their care.

Don lived a full life. Born in 1950 in San Francisco, he was a “Bay Area Boy” who felt at home in many cities, but never left the area and the sports teams he loved. He tried never to miss home- town games, even if his team was doing poorly. He also was very fond of his Harley Davidson motor- cycle, which he souped up with every after-market augmentation. It’s quite a beast.

Over his 73 years, Don had many occupations. However, being a mechanic was the one that sent him on his road to trade unionism. When I in- terviewed him, he said he was a good mechanic, but was humble in that assessment. He worked in independent shops, his own shop, and Ford, Porsche, Audi, and Cadillac shops, to name a few. Don became a business representative for Dis- trict 190 in 1989 and continued in that position until 2011. He learned the craft of representing workers through on-the-job training with the as- sistance of more seasoned representatives. He was motivated to take on the big challenges including flat rates, lack of grievance procedures, and what he referred to as “stinky stuff.”

Don was uniformly positive and affirming.

Don Crosatto, Directing Business Represen- tative for District 190 said of Barbe, “He was a dedicated union rep, fun to work with and always smiling. He was able to find the best solution in difficult situations.”

Union brother Lawrence Pretap said, “I’ve known brother Don from the early 90’s. He was not just a union rep, he was my brother. We made numerous trips to New Zealand and Fiji together. He will be very dearly missed!”

Local 1414 Vice President Don Adonis told me that in 2007 or 2008, he and Barbe rode from Redwood City to Las Vegas. It was a long ride but a lot of fun.”

Executive Board Member Jorge Portillo remembers how Don welcomed him as different locals merged into Local 1414. He re- flected on Don’s ability to learn about the differ- ent crafts covered by the IAM, how to deal with difficult labor disputes, and was 100% open about passing on whatever knowledge he could to those who asked. He also appreciated Don’s cooking, which was a regular feature at the local’s senior lunches.

Don served in various functions at the local including trustee, sergeant of arms and executive board member and was also a trustee at the San Mateo Central Labor Council.

Don was always active on picket lines and in taking political action. He and I were a part of the labor team that went to Nevada in 2016 to defeat Donald Trump there and succeeded!

We will miss Don and the incredible gift that he was to many of us.

Team produces a lucrative new contract at SSA

The SSA bargaining group (both labor and management) after the SSA contract signing. The union group is:

Rudolph (Rudy) Morales, Mike Di- Gaetano, Alfredo Guerrero, Man- uel Rayo, Richard Duke, Anthony Castagnola, Alejandro (Alec) Rodriguez, Andrew Deering. In the center, Area Director Kevin Kucera shakes hands with SSA’s Maintenance Manager John Bell.

After an arduous six months of negotiations strike vote after the first proposal to coming back to between Local 1484 and SSA, the 198 members at the table two weeks later and getting enough support five Southern California SSA terminals will see a 39% for some additional benefits to flip the numbers,” says wage increase over 6 years with signficant benefit Area Director Kevin Kucera. “We ended with an 80% improvements. acceptance rate.” The contract was ratified in October

“We went from an 80% rejection rate and 100% and is retroactive to July 1.

Congratulations to new officers

The newly-elected officers of Local 653 have been sworn in for a three-year term that started on January 1. Congratulations to the group for taking on this awesome responsibility:

Joe Artiaga Jr.—Secretary Treasurer

Leo Vasquez—President

Chris Jimenez—Vice-President

Brandon Sandoval—Rec. Secretary

Yee Vang—Trustee

Mike Avitia—Trustee

Eric Pelayo—Conductor-Sentinel