Driving Trucks for an Elmsford Union Changed This Woman’s Life

Teamsters are America’s largest, most diverse union. Denise June calls the group her family.

Based out of Elmsford, Teamsters Local 456 represents workers in Westchester and Putnam counties who are CDL drivers and workers for brands and businesses across the region.

One of those teamsters is Denise June, who has been in the industry for 15 years. 

Across the nation, 1.4 million members make up the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, making it America’s strongest and most diverse union. New Yorkers interact with Teamsters every day and see these union members creating and moving the goods that run the state and are central to the economy. Founded in 1946, Teamsters Local 456 includes concrete drivers, paving workers, building materials workers, and those who deliver fuel oil and drive school buses. 

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And although brotherhood might be in the name, June says that it should be seen as an enticing career path for women, too. Members are driven by a single goal: to do their part in making the workplace a better place for all and ensure they create the best environment to ensure a better life for members. 

Denise June
Denise June waves from her truck seat. Photo courtesy of Denise June

“You get involved with something so much bigger, and you have a whole other family of people looking after you and teaching you as you go along the way,” says June, who serves as the training director of Teamsters Local 456. “I like to encourage more females to consider this. We have a large diversity of all kinds of people. We always look for women.”

June says while the industry might be male-dominated, there are always people there for you while on the road. And she says while you have work boots on all day, you still can get home and put on a pair of your favorite shoes if you want.

One of the greatest strengths of the union is the support and participation active and retired members display with their continued involvement in organizing for better working conditions, stronger contracts, and more active member participation. 

While on the job, Teamsters have an opportunity to have a diverse day-to-day experience. June started as a tractor-trailer driver, previously working in heavy construction driving dump trucks, trailers, and other vehicles of the trade.

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“It’s an eight-hour day, but your day isn’t just one door,” said June. “It has two doors and you climb into it.”

In her role today, she focuses on training other people to help them advance into a career. She heads up a local 456 driving course that boasts an innovative feature: a classroom simulator console that mimics the inside of a truck cab. 

Denise June training
Denise June is a training director for Teamsters Local 456. Photo courtesy of Denise June

“I love what I do now, which is helping brothers and sisters to be confident when they go out there with new equipment,” says June, who has held this position for the last three years. “I’m teaching them [that] they know they can do it. To know I’ve helped another brother or sister is very rewarding.”

But the benefits go beyond the 9-to-5. Being part of a union means access to pension funds, annuity funds, legal services, health and welfare, employee assistance funds, and ongoing education and training.

June says getting started is as easy as going down to the union with your CDL license; the union will offer various trainings from there. That’s exactly what she did in hopes of providing for her three kids. Today, she can easily say it was the best decision she ever made in life. 

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“Out there, you are never alone,” says June. “That’s a great comfort.”

Related: What to Know About Joining a Union in Westchester County

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