(SAN FRANCISCO) –– Today, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) voted to make the city’s commuter shuttle pilot program permanent, while also ensuring labor harmony for workers employed by commuter shuttle operators. The commuter shuttle program pertains to buses primarily serving Silicon Valley’s high tech industry, including Apple, Google, Facebook, and others.

The SFMTA will now consider the extent to which a company can ensure labor harmony in its operations when considering participants of the program. The program allows private commuter shuttles use of public Muni stops.

San Francisco Board of Supervisors member Scott Wiener introduced a resolution calling for labor harmony in the program, which was unanimously passed by the Board of Supervisors in March.

Consistent efforts by commuter shuttle drivers, Teamsters and community members to keep public attention on the critical labor harmony resolution resulted in its final passage today.

“We are pleased with this ruling, which protects daily public transit riders and the shuttle drivers who deserve to be treated properly and with dignity,” said Rome Aloise, International Vice President and President of Teamsters Joint Council 7. “There are very real concerns around income inequality in the Bay Area, and one way to address income inequality is for workers to be able to organize in unions, without impact on transit operations.”

“With this ruling, the SFMTA and Board of Supervisors recognize labor harmony ensures that 800,000 people who depend on bus service in San Francisco every day will not be impacted when an employer infringes on the rights of workers taking part in their legal right to form a union,” said Doug Bloch,  Teamsters Joint Council 7 Political Director.

This summer, drivers for Bauer’s Intelligent Transportation held actions along with the support of Teamsters in San Francisco, urging SFMTA to pass the labor harmony resolution. Bauer’s workers faced a brutal anti-union campaign by their employer as they attempted to form their union.

Under the labor harmony provision, a failure to operate responsibly could lead to the revocation of the commuter shuttle company’s permit, including if a labor dispute spills affects MTA operations.

The Teamsters Union has organized shuttle bus drivers throughout the tech industry—at Facebook, Apple, Yahoo, eBay, Genentech, Amtrak, Evernote and other companies.

The union is also negotiating industry-leading contracts for organized tech industry workers.

The Teamsters Union is part of a growing movement of labor, faith and community-based organizations and workers challenging income inequality in Silicon Valley through an innovative partnership called Silicon Valley Rising. For more information, visit: http://siliconvalleyrising.org/.

For more information on tech worker organizing with the Teamsters, visit: https://teamster.org/tech-drivers-deserve-union.

Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 1.4 million hardworking men and women throughout the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. Visit www.teamster.org for more information. Follow us on Twitter @Teamsters and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/teamsters.

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