Agreement Delivers Major Gains in Wages, Health Care, Job Protections, and Retirement

(SMITHFIELD, R.I.) – Members at DATTCO Smithfield, represented by Teamsters Local 251, have overwhelmingly ratified a three-year successor agreement that secures significant wage increases of over 30 percent, access to Teamsters health care, stronger job protections, and entry into the New England Teamsters Pension Fund.

The 44 school bus workers first organized with Local 251 in 2020, winning their first contract in early 2022. When DATTCO took over the transportation contract in 2023, the company honored the existing deal. The newly ratified agreement marks the second for these members — and the strongest yet — building on the foundation of gains achieved in their first union contract.

“Teamsters at DATTCO Smithfield have once again proven what collective power can deliver,” said Matt Taibi, Secretary-Treasurer of Local 251 and Director of the Teamsters Passenger Transportation Division. “Teamsters in the passenger transportation industry continue to raise standards and fight for the respect they’ve earned while providing safe, reliable transportation for children.”

The Smithfield unit is part of a growing wave of victories for DATTCO Teamsters across Rhode Island and Connecticut. In the last year alone, workers at DATTCO locations in East Hartford, Bloomfield, and Middletown, Connecticut at Teamsters Local 671, as well as Smithfield and Burrillville, Rhode Island at Local 251, have won stronger contracts and increased benefits.

“This new agreement is a significant win for everyone involved,” said David Malone, a bus driver and member of Local 251. “It’s a clear acknowledgement of how essential drivers and attendants are to students and our community.”

Teamsters Local 251 represents over 6,300 workers in a wide variety of industries throughout Rhode Island and southeastern Massachusetts. For more information, go to teamsters251.org.

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