For Saundra Rich and her coworkers, being a member of a 1.4-million-member organization is about pride, respect and looking out for one another, especially when it comes to the complicated world of insurance claims.

That’s because Rich is a medical claims adjuster for Southwest Administrators, based in California. A third-party overseer, Southwest Administrators is the company that handles Teamster insurance entitlements ranging from medical benefits to trust funds.

But Southwest isn’t just any paperwork processing company. The corporation itself is a result of the first Teamster food industry health and welfare plan negotiated in 1950.

Charles Cross, a member of Joint Council 42, opened the first office in Los Angeles. He oversaw eight staff members who were responsible for administering fringe benefit programs to four mid-sized companies with a total of 1,200 employees.

Today, Southwest Administrators has four locations and administers 12 multi-employee benefit program trust funds covering 150,000 participants. It remains a Teamster facility through and through.

“Everyone in here who processes claims is a Teamster,” said Rich, who is a shop steward and member of Local 986 in Los Angeles. “We work as Teamsters for Teamsters.”

As Rich explains, being a Teamster and working for Teamsters gives employees of Southwest a sense of pride and ownership not found at any other insurance-processing facilities.

“When we process claims, we look out for our fellow members. We want to make sure they get everything that’s due to them,” Rich said.

'Stand With Pride'

But employees like Rich don’t just look out for members at other locals. As shop stewards, it is also the responsibility of Rich and Marsha Parrish to ensure Southwest employees receive everything they’re due—including quick resolutions to grievances and strong workplace representation.

Rich and Parrish successfully fulfilled those duties 11 months ago when Southwest Administrators employees accepted a new, three-year contract. The agreement includes an increase of 85 cents per hour allocated to health and welfare plans, wages and pension.

“This is a good contract,” Parrish said. “This is the first time we’ve received such a generous pay increase—normally our pay increases come in the form of percentages.”

Although both Rich and Parrish are happy with the outcome of the negotiation, they say the best part about being Teamsters has nothing to do with money. For them, being Teamsters is all about respect, dignity and solidarity.

“We stand strong and we stand with pride,” Rich said. “I think the best part about being a Teamster is the respect. You feel secure in your job, you feel welcome, and you feel protected.”