Teamsters Local 802 - 802 History

Teamsters Local 802 History

The history of Teamsters Local 802 stretches back generations, representing workers in New York's bakery and distribution industries and building a record of collective bargaining on behalf of its members.

Historical records document Local 802's activity by the late 1930s, although the precise date the Local was established has not yet been determined. By that time, Local 802 was already representing bakery drivers and working to protect wages, hours, and working conditions through collective bargaining.

The Early Years

1938 — Organizing Independent Bakery Peddlers

By 1938, Bakery & Pastry Drivers & Helpers Local 802 was already active in New York's bakery industry. Historical court records show that the union had been obtaining collective bargaining agreements covering the wages, hours, and working conditions of Local 802 members for a number of years.

In the spring of 1938, Local 802 began an organizing effort involving independent bakery peddlers who purchased baked goods from manufacturers and sold them to retail stores. The dispute that followed led to picketing in 1939 and eventually reached the United States Supreme Court.

1942 — Local 802 at the U.S. Supreme Court

The organizing dispute that began in the late 1930s ultimately reached the United States Supreme Court in Bakery & Pastry Drivers & Helpers Local 802 v. Wohl. The case was argued on January 13, 1942, and decided on March 30, 1942.

The Supreme Court reversed the New York court order restricting Local 802's peaceful picketing. The case became an important decision concerning the First Amendment protections associated with peaceful labor picketing.
Source: U.S. Supreme Court — Bakery & Pastry Drivers & Helpers Local 802 v. Wohl (1942)

1948 — Bargaining with R.K. Baking and the Cake Bakers' Association

In 1948, Local 802 negotiated with R.K. Baking Corporation and several other New York baking companies over collective bargaining agreements covering their employees. During the negotiations, R.K. and other employers formed the Cake Bakers' Association to coordinate their bargaining with the union.

After a brief strike during the negotiations, Local 802 and the participating employers reached an agreement on July 15, 1948.
Sources: U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit — National Labor Relations Board v. Gottfried Baking Co., 210 F.2d 772 (1954)

1949–1951 — The Gottfried Baking Dispute

Local 802 had entered into a collective bargaining agreement with Gottfried Baking Company on September 30, 1948. On December 27, 1949, workers covered by the agreement began a strike that continued into the following year.

In early 1950, Gottfried obtained a New York State court injunction against the strike, and the workers had returned to their jobs by April 1. Because the company's business had suffered during the strike, Gottfried and Local 802 subsequently agreed to temporarily suspend portions of the 1948 agreement while the company's operations continued on a day-to-day basis with frequent consultation between the company and the union.

Local 802 and Gottfried later entered into a new collective bargaining agreement around July 1951, continuing the bargaining relationship between the company and the union.
Source: U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit — National Labor Relations Board v. Gottfried Baking Co., 210 F.2d 772 (1954)

1950 — Building a Foundation for Members' Health and Welfare

On July 1, 1950, the Bakery Drivers Local 802 Welfare Fund became effective, establishing a collectively bargained benefit fund for Local 802 members and their families.

The Welfare Fund became an enduring part of the benefits secured through Local 802 collective bargaining, providing health and welfare benefits to eligible participants and their dependents for generations to come.
Source: U.S. Department of Labor — Bakery Drivers Local 802 Welfare Fund, Plan Records

1951–1967 — The Lorenz-Schneider Years

Local 802's documented relationship with Lorenz-Schneider Company reaches back to a collective bargaining agreement dated July 1, 1951. The agreement was later extended through June 1956, and the union continued to represent employees at the company in the years that followed.

In 1959, the discharge of a route salesman led to a dispute between Local 802 and the company and an 11-day strike. The discharge was ultimately upheld in arbitration, and a new collective bargaining agreement was later reached.

During contract negotiations in 1967, Lorenz-Schneider proposed selling its customer routes to the route salesmen, who would become independent distributors rather than company employees. The proposal was one of the factors that led Local 802 to call a lengthy strike. Local 802 eventually agreed that the company could offer the routes for sale. Most of the route salesmen purchased their routes and were no longer represented by Local 802, while those who remained employees continued to be represented along with the company's warehousemen.
Sources:
Lorenz-Schneider Co. v. Bakery & Pastry Drivers & Helpers Union, Local 802, 208 F. Supp. 77 (E.D.N.Y. 1962)
Lorenz Schneider Co., Inc. v. National Labor Relations Board, 517 F.2d 445 (2d Cir. 1975)

1952 — Winning the Five-Day Workweek

In February 1952, Local 802 reached an agreement with twelve area baking companies that replaced the existing six-day, 48-hour workweek with a five-day, 40-hour workweek for approximately 400 Local 802 members. Among the companies named were Messing-Pechter, George F. Stuhmer & Co., and Henry S. Levy & Sons.

The five-day week had been the union's chief bargaining demand, and the agreement ended a threatened strike. Negotiations continued over additional issues, including better pay for swing men and the distribution of commissions to Local 802 members.
Source: The New York Times — “Bakeries, Drivers Agree; Strike Threat by Local 802 Ends as Union Gets 5-Day Week” (February 23, 1952)

1954–1956 — The Arnold Bakers Dispute

In September 1954, Local 802 began an organizing effort involving independent distributors who delivered Arnold Bakers products to retail stores. Arnold manufactured bread and other bakery products at its plant in Port Chester, New York, selling its products through wholesalers who supplied the independent distributors.

On September 24, 1954, Local 802 members began picketing retail stores that sold Arnold products as part of the union's effort to organize the distributors. The resulting litigation continued through 1955 and 1956 and addressed whether the distributors were independent business operators and whether Local 802's organizing activities constituted a labor dispute under applicable law.

The case, Arnold Bakers, Inc. v. Strauss, identified John Strauss as President and Robert J. Sullivan as Treasurer of Local 802.
Source: Arnold Bakers, Inc. v. Strauss, 1 A.D.2d 604 (N.Y. App. Div. 1956)

Growth and Change

1956 — Local 802 Pension Fund Takes Effect

The Bakery Drivers Local 802 Pension Fund became effective on February 15, 1956, establishing a pension benefit for workers covered by participating collective bargaining agreements.
Source: U.S. Department of Labor — Bakery Drivers Local 802 Pension Fund, Plan Records

1961 — Local 802 at Ebinger Baking

By 1961, Local 802 had a collective bargaining agreement with Ebinger Baking Company that included provisions covering arbitration, work stoppages, and union security. A dispute over wages led Ebinger to file a federal lawsuit alleging that Local 802 had engaged in a slowdown rather than submitting the dispute to arbitration.

Local 802 sought to have the lawsuit dismissed, arguing in part that a union-security provision made the collective bargaining agreement unenforceable. The United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York rejected that argument, ruling that the disputed provision did not invalidate the remainder of the agreement. The court allowed Ebinger's lawsuit against Local 802 to continue but dismissed Local 802 President John Strauss and Secretary-Treasurer Robert J. Sullivan as individual defendants.
Source: Ebinger Baking Co. v. Bakery & Pastry Drivers & Helpers, Local 802, 194 F. Supp. 617 (E.D.N.Y. 1961)

1963 — Local 802 at Tri-Boro Bagel

By 1963, Local 802 had a collective bargaining agreement with Tri-Boro Bagel Company that required disputes to be submitted to arbitration and prohibited strikes while arbitration was pending. During a dispute between the company and the union, Tri-Boro alleged that Local 802 went on strike in violation of those provisions and sought an injunction in New York State court.

Local 802 removed the case to federal court. Tri-Boro sought to have it returned to state court, but the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York denied that request, ruling that the dispute involved an alleged violation of a collective bargaining agreement and therefore fell within federal labor-law jurisdiction.
Source: Tri-Boro Bagel Co. v. Bakery Drivers Union Local 802, 228 F. Supp. 720 (E.D.N.Y. 1963)

1964 — The Table Talk Pies Dispute

In 1964, Local 802 became involved in an organizing dispute concerning the distribution of Table Talk pies and other bakery products in Westchester County. Table Talk Pies of Westchester purchased products manufactured in Massachusetts and sold them through thirteen distributors, each of whom operated within an assigned territory and was described in the litigation as an independent contractor.

Local 802 sought to organize the distributors and picketed retail stores that purchased their products. The resulting litigation, Table Talk Pies of Westchester v. Strauss, reached the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.

The federal court concluded that the dispute involved activity subject to federal labor law, denied the plaintiffs' request to return the case to state court, and vacated the temporary restraining order that had been issued against Local 802 and the other union defendant.
Source: Table Talk Pies of Westchester v. Strauss, 237 F. Supp. 514 (S.D.N.Y. 1964)

1965 — Protecting Local 802 Jobs at Silvercup

Since 1951, Silvercup Bakers had operated a six-day delivery schedule while its employees worked five-day weeks. Regular route salesmen serviced established routes, while swingmen covered their days off. By 1961, Local 802's collective bargaining agreement with Silvercup covered approximately 350 employees, including 260 route salesmen, 55 swingmen, 25 route riders, and 10 trailer drivers. Silvercup's route salesmen were paid on a salary-plus-commission basis.

In August 1965, Silvercup proposed eliminating Wednesday deliveries and moving to a five-day delivery schedule, a change that would probably eliminate most of its approximately 55 swingmen. Local 802 objected, maintaining that the collective bargaining agreement required changes in delivery methods to be negotiated and mutually agreed upon.

The dispute resulted in Silvercup Bakers, Inc. v. Strauss. After the District Court ordered the parties to arbitration, Local 802 appealed. In December 1965, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit reversed that decision and sent the case back to the District Court for further examination of whether the parties had intended this type of dispute to be excluded from arbitration.
Source: Silvercup Bakers, Inc. v. Strauss, 245 F. Supp. 199 (E.D.N.Y. 1965)

1972 — A Major Bakery Strike

On November 1, 1972, more than 500 Local 802 driver-salesmen went on strike against eight wholesale baking companies after contract negotiations reached an impasse. The struck companies were Henry S. Levy & Son, Fink Baking Corporation, Duvernoy Bakeries, Inc., Field's Baking Corporation, Gnome Bakers, Inc., Miller Bakeries Corporation, Pechter's Bread, and RK Baking Corporation.

As the dispute continued, eleven additional baking companies shut down their plants in support of the struck employers. Contemporary reports documented the compensation structure for Local 802 driver-salesmen as $151 per week plus a 9 percent commission on gross sales exceeding $650 per week.

After a 27-day strike, negotiators reached an agreement covering 18 specialty bakeries and approximately 2,500 Local 802 driver-salesmen. The new contract provided higher wages, increased employer contributions to pension and welfare benefits, and improved vacation and holiday provisions. Pechter Baking Company was the only struck bakery that had not accepted the settlement when the agreement was announced.
Sources:
The New York Times — “500 Bakery Drivers Strike Against 8 Concerns Here” (November 1, 1972)
The New York Times — “Strike Involving 19 Bakeries Here Enters 18th Day” (November 18, 1972)
The New York Times — “Accord Reached in Bakery Strike” (November 28, 1972)

1972 — Establishing the Entenmann’s Salespersons Annuity Fund

In 1972, Local 802 secured an annuity benefit for Entenmann’s salespersons with the establishment of the Local 802 Entenmann’s Salespersons Annuity Trust Fund. The fund became effective February 1, 1972, pursuant to a collective bargaining agreement between Bakery Drivers Union Local 802 and Entenmann’s Sales Company.

The fund operated as a defined contribution pension plan for eligible Entenmann’s salespersons. It remained a separate Entenmann’s-specific Local 802 benefit fund for four decades before being merged into the Teamsters Local 802 Annuity Fund in 2012.
Source: U.S. Department of Labor — Local 802 Entenmann’s Salespersons Annuity Trust Fund, Audited Financial Statements

1974 — 190 Local 802 Salespersons Idled by Entenmann’s Bakery Strike

Local 802 was already representing workers at Entenmann's Bakery in Bay Shore, Long Island, when approximately 750 bakery production workers went on strike on April 30, 1974. The month-long strike shut down production at Entenmann's and idled approximately 190 Local 802 members.

The strike ended on June 1 after the production workers accepted a new three-year agreement providing wage increases of approximately 30 percent. Contemporary reporting described Entenmann's as a 76-year-old, family-owned company whose pies, cakes, and other pastries were distributed to grocery stores across five states.
Source: The New York Times — “Strike Settled at Entenmann's” (June 2, 1974)

1975 — Keeping Silvercup Bakery Open

In March 1975, Local 802 reached an agreement with Silvercup Bakers that prevented the company from suspending operations at its Long Island City bakery, where approximately 700 jobs were at risk.

Local 802 members voted to accept the consolidation of delivery routes and the loss of 20 jobs as part of a compromise to keep the company operating. Silvercup, which had emerged from bankruptcy under new ownership five months earlier, reported that it had been losing approximately $10,000 a week.

Samuel Gallo, Secretary-Treasurer of Local 802, acknowledged that the union had made concessions but said he believed the agreement would benefit everyone involved in the long run.
Source: The New York Times — “Pact Saves Silvercup Bakery, With Loss of 20 Delivery Jobs” (March 20, 1975)

1977 — A Longstanding Relationship with Frito-Lay

Local 802's relationship with Frito-Lay reaches back at least to the 1970s. A September 1977 arbitration record preserved by Cornell University's Kheel Center documents Frito-Lay and Local 802 in a dispute involving the discharge of an employee over the maintenance of company records.

That relationship has endured for decades. Frito-Lay remains one of Local 802's major employers today, with Local 802 members continuing to work under a Teamsters collective bargaining agreement.
Sources:
Cornell University, Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation and Archives, Benjamin H. Wolf Additional Arbitration Files, 1970–1999, Case 77-90, Frito Lay v. International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT), Local 802, September 30, 1977, Box 23, Folder 11.
Teamsters Joint Council 16 — Local 802

1978 — Protecting Local 802 Work at S.B. Thomas

In 1978, Local 802 challenged a decision by S.B. Thomas to subcontract work performed by members of the union's bargaining unit.

Local 802 sought a federal court injunction to prevent the subcontracting while the underlying contract dispute proceeded through arbitration. The United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York granted the injunction, finding that allowing the subcontracting to proceed threatened the permanent loss of Local 802 jobs and could leave the union without an adequate remedy through arbitration.

The court also concluded that S.B. Thomas remained financially profitable without the subcontracting and that the company's proposed action was not compelled by economic necessity.
Source: Bakery Drivers Union, Local 802 v. S.B. Thomas, Inc., No. 78-C-1270, 99 L.R.R.M. 2253 (E.D.N.Y. June 21, 1978)

1981 — Expanding Retirement Benefits at S.B. Thomas

Local 802 members employed by S.B. Thomas gained a new retirement benefit in 1981 with the creation of the S.B. Thomas Inc. – Local 802 Salespersons Annuity Trust Fund. Established under a collective bargaining agreement, the fund became effective November 1, 1981, as an employer-funded defined contribution plan for eligible salespersons.

S.B. Thomas made contributions on behalf of covered employees, providing participating Local 802 members with individual retirement accounts in which they were immediately vested. The fund remained in operation for more than 30 years before merging into the Teamsters Local 802 Annuity Fund in September 2012.
Source: U.S. Department of Labor — S.B. Thomas Inc. – Local 802 Salespersons Annuity Trust Fund, Audited Financial Statements

Starting a New Millennium

2003 — Investing in the Next Generation of Local 802 Families

In 2003, Local 802 expanded its commitment to its members and their families with the creation of the Teamsters Local 802 Scholarship Fund. Effective August 1, 2003, the fund helped the children of union members pursue higher education by providing scholarships for those attending college or university.

Described on the union’s scholarship application as “Union Helping Union Member’s Children,” the program extended Local 802’s support beyond the workplace and invested directly in the next generation of Local 802 families.
Sources:
U.S. Department of Labor — Local 802 Scholarship Fund, Plan Records
Teamsters Local 802 — Scholarship Fund Application

2008 — Moving from Crescent Street to Baldwin

After the sale of its longtime property at 41-20 Crescent Street in Long Island City in 2007, Local 802 purchased a new property at 2151 Marion Place in Baldwin, Long Island, in March 2008.

The Crescent Street property, which had served as the home of Local 802 and its associated benefit funds for decades, was sold for $13 million. Local 802 would continue serving its membership from Baldwin for more than seventeen years before the property was sold in 2025.
Sources:
New York City Department of Finance, Office of the City Register — Deed, 41-20 Crescent Street (2007)
Nassau County Clerk — Deed, 2151 Marion Place (2008)

2011 — Expanding Representation at Krasdale Foods

In 2011, Teamsters Local 802 expanded its representation at Krasdale Foods when maintenance employees at the company's Bronx warehouse voted to join the Local. In a National Labor Relations Board election held on October 27, employees voted 12–2 in favor of representation by Local 802.

The bargaining unit included full-time and regular part-time maintenance employees at Krasdale's 400 Food Center Drive warehouse. Following the election, the National Labor Relations Board certified Local 802 as the employees' bargaining representative.
Source: National Labor Relations Board — Krasdale Foods, Inc., Case 02-RC-064850

2018 — Securing $36 Million for the Local 802 Pension Fund

During negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement covering Local 802 members at Entenmann's, the union secured a major commitment from Bimbo Bakeries USA to strengthen the Bakery Drivers Local 802 Pension Fund.

As part of the December 2018 agreement, Bimbo committed to a $36 million cash infusion into the Pension Fund. In addition to the cash infusion, the company agreed to continue making regular Pension Fund contributions on behalf of eligible employees.

Although the Pension Fund was a multiemployer fund covering employees of multiple contributing employers, the $36 million commitment resulted specifically from Local 802's negotiations for the Entenmann's collective bargaining agreement.
Source: Bimbo Bakeries USA, Inc. and International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 802 — Memorandum of Agreement, December 13, 2018

September 2025 — Local 802 Moves to Deer Park

In September 2025, Teamsters Local 802 relocated its headquarters from Baldwin to 2070 Deer Park Avenue in Deer Park, New York.

The new union hall is located in a two-story office building purchased by Local 802 in 2025, with ample on-site parking for members visiting the Local.
Source: Teamsters Local 802 — Official Relocation Announcement

2026 — Securing a Strong New Agreement at Entenmann’s and S.B. Thomas

In 2026, approximately 200 Local 802 members at Entenmann’s and S.B. Thomas ratified a new collective bargaining agreement with Bimbo Bakeries USA. The agreement brought the two sales operations together under a combined route system and secured wage increases of up to 40 percent, along with increased employer contributions toward health care, higher pay for holidays and sick days, and an increased uniform allowance.

The agreement also extended employer-funded annuity benefits to newer members who had previously received none, provided members with a ratification bonus, and included a one-year protection against layoffs following ratification.

The agreement marked a significant step forward for Local 802 members at two of the union’s longstanding employers and demonstrated the gains that could be achieved through collective bargaining and member solidarity.
Source: International Brotherhood of Teamsters — Teamsters at Bimbo Bakeries Ratify Strong New Agreement

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