Drivers Came Together To Gain Respect In Workplace

February 28, 2008

(Atlanta, GA) – Nearly 200 First Transit bus operators who provide transportation for university, Coca-Cola and other workers in the Atlanta area voted unanimously to join Teamsters Local 728 in three separate elections held this month.

“The workers are joining the Teamsters because they want some very basic things: respect, dignity and a voice on the job. Our union is committed to strategic organizing campaigns and victories like this show how that commitment can pay off,” said Local 728 President Randy Brown.

In the three elections, there were no votes cast against the Teamsters.

The trio of victories started on February 8, when bus operators at Emory University voted 64-to-0 to join Local 728. The bargaining unit has 91 workers.

The next two victories came on February 22. Bus operators at Georgia State, Kennesaw State, Atlanta University Center, Georgia Power, FedEx airport facility and Coca-Cola voted 25-to-0 to join the Teamsters. The bargaining unit has 56 workers.

Bus operators at Georgia Tech voted 27-to-0 to join the Teamsters. The bargaining unit has 38 workers.

The campaign involved an active organizing committee, made up of workers at each of the major work sites, and dedicated rank-and-file members who served as organizers.

“The First Transit drivers came together for one common purpose—we wanted respect, safe buses and a voice on the job,” said Hans Reid, a First Transit driver at Georgia Tech. “Today we made that goal a reality.”

FirstGroup is the parent company of First Student and First Transit. Since 2006, more than 5,000 of the company’s workers have become members of the Teamsters.

Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 1.4 million hardworking men and women in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico.