Jose Soto grew up with a father who loved watches, but wasn’t interested in repairing them. So Jose took on that job with gusto, not only fixing watches, but tinkering with them, changing the casing and the dials.
Today, Soto can always be counted on to know the time as the lead server at The Sequoias—Portola Valley, a San Mateo County retirement community.
But his co-workers depend on him for so much more.
Soto is a steward, who along with the rest of the bargaining committee, played an important role in negotiating a new three-year union contract that guarantees them a minimum 13 percent raise, as well as new job protections, and five additional vacation days by 2028.
The new contract will help Soto buy new parts for the watches he sells, but he takes more satisfaction knowing that the raises stem from his colleagues being more engaged in contract talks than any previous round of negotiations.
“Everybody stood together, and that’s why we won a good contract,” said Soto, who is now hard at work making sure everyone knows the terms.
“I absolutely love being part of the union and making sure the employees know their rights,” he said. “A lot of companies function on the basis that the employees don’t know their rights.”
To do his part, Soto is always reading up on the contract.
“This is the most informed that I’ve ever been at any job,” he said.
Soto keeps a paper copy in his locker and a digital copy on his phone, so his colleagues can see their rights and he can help defend their rights.
“I love to stand for people,” he said. “I love to help them. I love to be a voice for them.”
