WASHINGTON — School bus drivers and attendants with First Student in Wichita, Kan., have voted by more than a 7-1 margin to join Wichita-based Teamsters Local 795. The 795 workers are seeking respect and fairness on the job.
“I encouraged my co-workers to vote Teamsters because we need representation. We need to have a voice in how things are run and we need respect and fair pay,” said Darlene French, a First Student driver.
“I think the union is a great thing. I’ve been on the school bus for 15 years and there are no raises, no paid holidays. We needed a change,” said Waunita Mead, an attendant.
Throughout the organizing campaign, the workers stuck together, formed an organizing committee and worked hard to make the vote of 415-53 in favor of Teamster representation possible.
The 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 29,100 drivers, monitors, aides, mechanics and attendants have become Teamsters.
For more information on the Drive Up Standards campaign, go to: www.schoolbusworkersunited.org.
Founded in 1903, the Teamsters Union represents more than 1.4 million hardworking men and women in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico.
