News Updates

First Student workers in Atlanta, Georgia and Benton Harbor, Michigan have voted to join the Teamsters.

In Atlanta, there are 20 workers in the bargaining unit represented by Teamsters Local 728. Eight FirstGroup units have been organized by Local 728 since 2007.

In Benton Harbor, there are 48 workers in the bargaining unit now represented by Teamsters Local 7.

We have racked up FOUR First Student victories this week!

First Student workers in Coventry, Rhode Island, voted today to join the Teamsters! There are 122 workers in the bargaining unit who are now represented by Teamsters Local Union 251.

Congratulations to our brothers and sisters in Coventry, and welcome.

The Baumann Monitoring Commission, a volunteer commission made up of prominent community leaders throughout Long Island, held a press conference today to demand justice for the more than 1,700 workers on Long Island who work for the Baumann transportation companies—Baumann & Sons, Acme Bus, Alert Coach and Brookset Bus.

Due to poor working conditions, including low wages, a lack of affordable health care and other injustices on the job, workers at Baumann have decided to form a union with Teamsters Local 1205. In doing so, they have faced an aggressive anti-union campaign by the company, which includes high-priced “union avoidance consultants.”

The Commission seeks to ensure community support for these workers’ rights to form a union without fear and intimidation from their employer. Based on the actions of company management, the Commission presented a report on the status of worker treatment at Baumann, which makes several demands, including:

1)    Immediately fire the union busters, who are feeding off New Yorkers’ tax dollars paid to transport children;

2)    Cease and desist in interfering with employees’ legal right to make their own choice about forming a union;

3)    Remain strictly neutral during the remainder of the union organizing campaign;

4)    If the union is voted in, do not violate the law, which demands that the company bargain in good faith with the union about the employees’ terms and conditions.

Rather than take responsibility, Ron Baumann did not meet with the Commission and delegation of several dozen Baumann workers. Instead, he hid behind one of his highly paid anti-union consultants. 

The Baumann Monitoring Commission consists of:

• William Lindsay, Presiding Officer, Suffolk County Legislature;
• Luis Valenzuela, Executive Director, Long Island Immigrant Alliance;
• Gregory DeFreitas, Professor, Hofstra University;
• Father William Brisotti, Our Lady of Miraculous Medal Roman Catholic Church;
• Rev. Paul Ratzlaff, Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Huntington, and
• Nadia Marin Molina, Executive Director, The Workplace Project.

Review the Commission’s full report.

School bus workers with Baumann, Acme, Brookset and Alert in Long Island, New York, are voting in their union election on November 20. Watch these workers live in action, talking about the changes they are going to make once they join the Teamsters! They recently rallied for respect with their coworkers, Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa, political and community leaders and fellow bus workers from throughout Long Island. View their rally.