Wisconsin First Student Workers Choose Teamsters

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International Brotherhood of Teamsters

Mar 19, 2010, 04:21 ET

Schofield School Bus Drivers and Monitors Unite for Fairness

WASHINGTON, March 19 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- School bus drivers and monitors with First Student in Schofield, Wisconsin, have voted to join Teamsters Local 662 in Eau Claire. The 88 workers joined the Teamsters seeking improvements to their working conditions, including a fair wage, a voice on the job and affordable and decent health care.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20100127/IBTLOGO )

"We are all ecstatic. I wanted the union to help out with the equality of pay and bidding on runs," said Charles Schommer, a driver. "We just want fairness in general and to better our working relationship with the company."

"The turnout was great. We got what we wanted," Cleo Bonnie, a monitor, said of the 47-27 vote in favor of Teamster representation. "I'm glad we're Teamsters now because I feel like our conditions at work will get better as a result."

According to David Reardon, Secretary-Treasurer of Local 662, the workers were highly committed and focused on organizing their workplace.

"This was an excellent group to organize from day one, and even though we are in difficult economic times, they knew going for this would benefit themselves and their families," Reardon said.

This is the second group of First Student workers to join the Teamsters in Wisconsin in recent weeks. On February 24, 60 drivers and attendants in Verona joined Teamsters Local 695 in Madison.

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 25,700 drivers, monitors, aides, mechanics and attendants have become Teamsters.

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

SOURCE International Brotherhood of Teamsters