Photo:Payton and Jenny Corbett
Meet this week’s “Special Person of the Week:Payton Corbett
Payton Corbett is an elected officer of Teamsters Local 122 in Boston where he serves as a Trustee on their Executive Board. He is also a shop steward in his workplace as well as a long-time union and community activist. Payton has been a union member his entire adult life, having joined the Teamsters at 20 years old. He understood early on the power that ordinary working people have when they stand together and use their collective voice to fight for justice.
In 2015, Payton played a key role in negotiations between Teamsters Local 122 and Anheuser-Busch InBev, the world’s largest brewer. Through the strength and solidarity of the members as well as the negotiating team’s hard work, the union secured a five-year collective bargaining agreement that is one of the best in the country for that industry. Payton’s education and experiences in the labor movement taught him the importance of bringing the shop floor politics taught in the union out into the community. Wanting to bring about change in Somerville, Payton decided to take the same dedication he has for his union and apply it to his city by running for mayor.
Payton is a decade-long resident of Ward One where he lives with his wife, Jenny. They are proud to be a full union household as Jenny is a member of the Harvard Union of Clerical and Technical Workers (HUCTW). Payton will be a strong voice for working people and an advocate for good jobs in Somerville. He has already pledged not to take money from developers or corporate special interests. As a Teamster leader and community activist, Payton understands the issues working class families face in the city. He will be a mayor of, by, and for the people of Somerville!
As mayor, it’s your duty to stand with the people who live in the city”
Vote for Payton Corbett Mayor of Somerville September 19, 2017 (Preliminary)
Our hats are off to his true Somerville spirit!
We here at the Somerville News Weekly salute you for everything that you do to make Somerville a better place.
Congratulations!