May 25, 2007

(Washington, D.C.) - More than 140 First Student school bus drivers and mechanics voted overwhelmingly on May 24 to elect the Teamsters as their bargaining representative. The school bus workers cast their ballots in favor of representation by Teamsters Local 542 in San Diego, Calif., by a margin of 69-44.

The vote marked the first important step for the workers in achieving critical gains in the workplace. The school bus workers joined the Teamsters seeking necessary improvements in their working conditions. The First Student employees are now looking forward to being able to negotiate for improved safety standards, fair wages, decent and affordable health insurance and a seniority system.

“Any parent who knows what we do on a daily basis would want us to be treated fairly and to be respected,” said Philip Liburd, a First Student bus driver. “The best way for us to make things better was for us to organize as a union.”

Jim Newton, another First Student driver, said San Diego is one of the most expensive places in the country to live. “We deserve livable wages and a health plan that we can afford,” Newton said. “We need the opportunity to negotiate for what we need, which is why I supported forming a union with the Teamsters.”

Two previous campaigns failed, but this one succeeded because the company broke its promises. Workers were told they’d get a $1.50 to $2 raise that never materialized.

The campaign to organize the school bus workers in San Diego began in March. The workers quickly came together quickly to achieve this victory.

“The big thing it’s going to mean for the workers is that they’re now on the track to make an affordable wage where they can live without working two or three jobs,” said Phil Farias, president of Local 542. “These workers are on the way to getting back the American dream that everyone is losing.”

The victory is part of an effort to organize private school bus drivers across the country. Driving Up Standards is a national campaign by the Teamsters, Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and the Transport and General Workers’ (T&G) union to improve safety, service and work standards in the private school bus industry. Since 2006, more than 2,500 private school bus workers have joined the Teamsters.

Founded in 1903, the Teamsters Union represents more than 1.4 million hardworking men and women in the United States and Canada.