Stonecrest, Georgia — A determined group of workers at a Pepsi-Cola facility in Stonecrest, Georgia has made it official: they are now Teamsters.

More than 30 sales representatives at the Pepsi distribution site voted to join Teamsters Local 528, securing union representation after a focused and hard-fought organizing campaign centered on fair wages, stronger workplace protections, and basic dignity on the job.

The victory is being celebrated as a major milestone — not just for the workers involved, but for the broader labor movement taking shape across Georgia's beverage industry.

Jeff Padellaro, Director of the Teamsters Brewery, Bakery, and Soft Drink Conference, called the result a proud moment for the union and a sign of growing momentum.

According to Padellaro, this organizing win is part of a larger wave of victories at Pepsi facilities throughout the state — evidence that workers across Georgia are increasingly unwilling to accept the status quo.

These workers, he emphasized, knew they deserved better — and they didn't stop until they got it.

Donnie Newell, a Business Agent with Local 528, praised the group's resolve throughout what became a pressure-filled campaign.

Newell described the workers as focused and unshakeable — a group that refused to be distracted or discouraged from their goal of earning full union membership and the protections that come with it.

He added that Local 528 now looks forward to standing beside these new members as they push for a strong first contract.

The road to this vote was not without resistance.

After workers made their desire to unionize publicly known by marching on management, the company responded by asking for an extended window — roughly a year — to self-correct and implement workplace improvements on its own terms.

The workers didn't buy it.

Rather than accepting a promise from the same management they felt had let them down, the employees doubled down on their organizing efforts and kept their coalition united through the pressure.

For Alfred Kitchens, a sales representative who has worked at the Pepsi facility for 29 years, the vote wasn't just a professional milestone — it was personal.

Kitchens described the effort as one built on trust, shared sacrifice, and a deep sense of community among coworkers who have spent years side by side on the job.

"We couldn't put our trust in the company," Kitchens explained, "so we came together as a team to help everyone understand the benefits of joining the union."

He said the workers operated not just as colleagues, but as family — and that bond is what ultimately carried them to victory at the ballot box.

Kitchens expressed excitement about the next chapter: negotiating a contract that reflects the years of dedication these workers have poured into the company.

Teamsters Local 528 is one of Georgia's most active labor organizations, representing thousands of working men and women across the state in industries ranging from freight and logistics to food and beverage distribution.

This latest organizing win in Stonecrest signals that labor momentum inside Georgia's beverage sector is far from slowing down.

For a city like Stonecrest — incorporated in 2016 and among the fastest-growing municipalities in metro Atlanta — a union victory of this scale carries weight beyond the workplace.

It reflects a workforce that is increasingly educated about its rights and willing to fight for them collectively.

With a first contract negotiation now on the horizon, all eyes in Georgia's labor community will be watching how Pepsi-Cola responds to its newly organized Stonecrest workforce.

One thing is clear: these workers showed up, held the line, and won — and they have no intention of stopping there.