September 13, 2007

(Savannah, GA) – First Student drivers, technicians and monitors that serve the Chatham County Public School system gained union representation from Teamsters Local 728, voting 314-20.

The workers had been seeking union representation for years at this location, but it wasn’t until they enlisted the help of the Teamsters Union six months ago that real progress was made.

“We had worked with other unions in the past, but they never provided us with the support and resources needed to win this thing,” said Jerome Irwin, a driver at First Student. “We saw that the Teamsters had organized a First Student location in Charleston, South Carolina and we gave them call. They hit the ground running and responded to our call right away.”

The drivers, technicians and monitors are fighting for respect in the workplace. They have endured years of low wages and have been denied benefits and holiday pay. Their concerns over safety have also been ignored by company.

“With the Teamsters in our corner we are getting to where we need to be to resolve the issues in the workplace,” said Yvonne Grant, who has driven for Chatham County for 26 years. “Now that we are with the union I am sure we are going to be able to get everything we need.”

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 3,100 private school bus workers have joined the Teamsters.

“These workers fought for this right to be represented by our union. The International organizers did a tremendous job educating these workers and facilitating the process,” said Randy Brown, President of Teamsters Local 728 in Atlanta, Georgia. “We are looking forward to getting these workers the wages, benefits and respect they deserve.”

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