School bus drivers and attendants in Verona, Wisconsin, are the first group of First Student workers in the state to join the Teamsters Union, after voting in favor of representation by Teamsters Local 695 in Madison. There are 60 workers in the bargaining unit.

“The main reason we organized was for safety, respect, and decent, affordable health care,” said Kelly King, a First Student attendant in Verona. “I’m excited for us to make changes here.”

“We’re looking forward to negotiating an agreement to provide the wages, benefits and working conditions that should be afforded to all working men and women in the country, and we’re looking forward to getting started on that process,” said Wayne Schultz, Secretary-Treasurer of Local 695.

“This is a great victory and it’s something that the whole state is looking at to keep the momentum going, to give workers a better working environment,” said Fred Gegare, International Union Vice President and President of Joint Council 39.

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 25,500 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.

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