Press Releases
Teamsters Local 665 Files for Election at Chariot
(SAN FRANCISCO) – More than 130 commuter shuttle drivers with Chariot will have the opportunity to vote for Teamster representation in the coming weeks, after the union officially filed for an election.
Teamsters Local 665 in San Francisco filed for an election with the National Labor Relations Board late last week, after Chariot drivers signed cards authorizing a vote. Chariot is a jitney service that was acquired by Ford Motor Company in 2016. The drivers are seeking better wages, benefits and working conditions.
“The wages are not sufficient to live in the Bay Area, and that is a concern the drivers have,” said Mark Gleason, Secretary-Treasurer of Local 665. “We are looking forward to the opportunity to improve working conditions for the drivers.”
“Tech shuttle industry drivers have all seen their wages, benefits and overall standards improve once they’ve joined the Teamsters. The Chariot drivers offer a different service from the high tech drivers we represent, but still deserve a living wage, decent benefits and working conditions. Our involvement in every aspect of the transportation industry helps the drivers improve their livelihoods,” said Rome Aloise, President of Teamsters Joint Council 7.
Chariot is a private bus company that operates passenger vans around San Francisco, providing commuter rides on demand. The company announced plans earlier this year to expand to eight cities in 2017.
“Chariot and Lyft are taking on our underfunded public transit system in San Francisco,” said Doug Bloch, Joint Council 7 Political Director. “So it’s important that workers, passengers and the public have the same protections that exist with other public and private buses.”
The union is encouraging the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency to develop a program for private bus companies that will mirror the labor harmony provision that exists in the permitting program for shuttle buses serving high tech companies.
Shuttle drivers for contractors servicing Yahoo, Facebook, Salesforce, Apple, Genentech, eBay, Cisco, Amtrak, Netflix, Zynga, PayPal, LinkedIn and Twitter have all joined the Teamsters since 2014.
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 “like” us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/teamsters.