North Carolina First Transit Drivers Join Teamsters

First Transit drivers in Raleigh and Morrisville, North Carolina, have voted unanimously in two separate elections to join Local 391 in Greensboro. The workers voted 37-0 in Raleigh and 33-0 in Morrisville to become Teamster members. Both groups united as Teamsters over shared needs for improvements in their workplace, including respect from management, a grievance procedure and the established rules provided by a union contract. The bargaining unit in Raleigh consists of 57 drivers and there are 42 drivers in Morrisville.

“Everybody was really happy about joining the Teamsters; we voted because we basically want to be treated fairly. Our job is a lot of responsibility and we do not take it lightly. We’re now anticipating a vote soon on our shop stewards and we’re getting ready for negotiations,” said Lesa Feeney, a driver with First Transit in Raleigh. Feeney, who was once a Teamster driver in New York City, recognized the need for Teamster representation at her workplace in Raleigh and was instrumental in helping organize her coworkers. 

Feeney and her coworkers in Raleigh operate the Wolfline, a transit service for students and others around the campus of North Carolina State University. The Morrisville First Transit drivers operate a service transporting passengers in the Morrisville and Cary areas.

“These are wonderful victories for two groups of workers who really needed a union,” said Jack Cipriani, International Union Vice President and President of Local 391. “These victories show the true extent to which they wanted to be Teamsters.”