Sixty drivers at First Transit in Savannah, Georgia, who voted to join Local 728 last year, have ratified their first contract that includes numerous improvements.

On May 16, the drivers who serve Savannah College of Art and Design voted unanimously to ratify the three-year contract. The drivers in Savannah were organized immediately after First Transit acquired the contract and joined the First Transit drivers who work at several locations in the metro-Atlanta area as members of Local 728. One-hundred percent of First Transit drivers in Georgia are Teamsters.

“Local 728 has worked aggressively to organize over 600 First Student and First Transit drivers that are within our jurisdiction through both local union campaigns and joint campaigns with the International Union.” said Ben Speight, Local 728 Organizing Director.

“The contract includes solid wage increases, eight new paid holidays, and major improvements to the amount of paid vacations workers receive, including additional weeks of vacation for drivers that worked for the previous contractor,” said Randy Brown, President of Local 728 in Atlanta. “The contract also includes penalty pay for payroll errors and improvements to the grievance procedure. Rather than unresolved disputes automatically going to arbitration, there will be a grievance panel. This is an excellent first contract.”

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