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Lewisville School Bus Workers Join Teamsters Local 745
(DALLAS) – On Friday, First Student school bus workers in Lewisville, Texas voted decisively in favor of joining Teamsters Local 745 in Dallas. The nearly 400-worker unit consists of drivers and monitors who are seeking a strong voice to address their workplace concerns.
“We are elated to join the Teamster family,” said LaRae Saldivar, a First Student driver in Lewisville. “My co-workers and I worked hard to get to this point and we’re going to continue to work hard so we can secure a strong contract. As a third-generation school bus driver and former member of the Teamsters, I have long known how important it is for workers to have strong representation. I’m so proud of my co-workers for uniting together to win a strong voice on the job.”
“This has been an eye-opening experience for me. We showed what workers can do when they stick together. We never backed down,” said Kristina Brantley, a monitor at First Student.
The drivers and monitors will be covered by the Teamsters-First Student national contract and Teamsters Local 745 will negotiate a supplemental that will include economics.
“This was a full team effort. I am proud of these workers for staying united and the organizing committee for their commitment to forming their union with the Teamsters. This was a hard-fought campaign,” said Brent Taylor, Local 745 Secretary-Treasurer. “I also want to thank all the organizers and representatives from all levels of the union who helped out.”
The Teamsters’ Drive Up Standards campaign is a global campaign to improve safety, service and work standards in the privatized school bus and transit industry. Since the campaign began in 2006, more than 46,000 drivers, monitors, aides, attendants and mechanics have become Teamsters. For more information on the Drive Up Standards campaign, go to www.driveupstandards.org.
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.