New Provider of Bus Service for Seattle School District Will Continue Union Relationship

(SEATTLE) – Bus service for students in the Seattle School District will continue to be provided exclusively by Teamsters after Zūm drivers organized with Teamsters Local 174.

The workers’ decision to join the Teamsters was finalized last week through voluntary recognition after a neutral third party verified that a majority of the employees chose Teamster representation. The school district could eventually bring more than 200 new members into Local 174 once Zūm finishes hiring drivers.

“We are proud to welcome our newest members at Zūm into the Teamster family and look forward to a bright future with this group,” said Rick Hicks, Local 174 Secretary-Treasurer. “Seattle is a union town, and school bus driving is a union industry, so we are pleased that Zūm decided to let their workers make their own decisions instead of fighting against them. These drivers chose the Teamsters Union, and together we plan to demonstrate it was the right move.”

All Seattle school bus service was contracted out to First Student until this academic year, when the Seattle School District decided to split the contract between First Student and Zūm — a California-based company new to the area. Local 174 immediately started organizing the group, meeting regularly with new hires and collecting signed union authorization cards.

Now that the unit has been certified, work can begin on negotiating a first Teamster contract to protect workers’ rights on the job.

Founded in 1909, Teamsters Local 174 represents 8,600 working men and women in Seattle and the surrounding areas. “Like” us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TeamstersLocal174.

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