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Chattanooga Drivers and Monitors Ratify First Teamster Contract
(CHATTANOOGA, Tenn.) – Workers at Durham School Services in Chattanooga, Tenn. have voted unanimously to ratify their first contract with Teamsters Local 327.
“The workers at Durham in Chattanooga demonstrated tremendous courage throughout this process,” said Joe Bennett, President of Teamsters Local 327. “From the organizing campaign to ratification, this process took over two years, but they stood united. I couldn’t be prouder of the amazing things that these men and women have done.”
The new collective bargaining agreement is good for three years, and it covers over 250 drivers and monitors who provide student transportation services for Hamilton County Schools. It includes significant wage increases, more paid holidays, guaranteed safety standards, and a number of other benefits.
Katie Williams is a driver at the Chattanooga yard, where she works alongside her sister Kayla and her mother Lisa. She served on both the organizing and negotiating committees.
“We fought so hard for this and went through so much to get this agreement, and it just feels amazing now that all of our hard work has paid off,” Williams said. “It’s incredible, the things that you can accomplish when you refuse to give up.”
Teamsters Local 327 represents workers in a variety of industries throughout Tennessee.