School bus drivers and aides with Durham School Services in Tinton Falls, N.J., have taken a major step toward gaining fair treatment and respect on the job, voting today to join Teamsters Local 469 in Hazlet, N.J.

James P. Hoffa, Teamsters General President, congratulated the workers on their hard fought victory.

“We welcome these workers to the Teamsters and we will work hard on their behalf,” Hoffa said.

Jeff Farmer, Teamsters Organizing Director, said the Durham workers were tireless in their efforts to become Teamster members. Durham is the North American subsidiary of National Express Group, a transportation company based in the United Kingdom.

“They persevered against intense efforts by the company to obstruct their freedom of association, and the workers overcame the vehement anti-worker campaign launched by Durham,” Farmer said. “The Teamsters Union is building a movement of school bus workers in the entire industry to empower themselves to win real improvements.”

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 20,000 workers have become Teamsters.

For more information about the campaign, go to www.schoolbusworkersunited.org, or, www.teamster.org.

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

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