May 12, 2008  

(Washington, D.C.) – School bus drivers and aides with First Student in Batavia and Elba, New York turned out in full force to elect the Teamsters as their bargaining representative. All 25 drivers and aides cast their ballots, gaining the representation of Teamsters Local 264.

“We’re on cloud nine,” said Sue Pellegrino, a First Student driver. “School bus drivers with First Student are among the lowest paid workers in this area. For the responsibilities we have, we need fair pay and benefits. We don’t have sick days or holidays or anything. This was a long time coming.”

The drivers and aides work out of two yards in the towns of Batavia and Elba, located midway between Buffalo and Rochester. The workers had been unsuccessful in two previous attempts to unionize over the years. According to Teamsters Local 264 organizer Scott Chismar, the workers approached his local, united to become Teamsters.

“We are proud to welcome our newest members, the hardworking men and women of First Student,” said Ron Lucas, President of Teamsters Local 264. “We look forward helping them achieve the improved working conditions that they deserve.”

This victory is the latest in an effort to organize private school bus and transit workers across the country. Drive Up Standards is a national campaign to improve safety, service and work standards in the private school bus and transit industry. Since the campaign began in 2006, more than 7,000 workers have become Teamsters. Since the beginning of 2008 alone, more than 2,000 workers have joined the Teamsters, with more elections scheduled nationwide in the weeks to come.

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