Press Releases
Teamsters at Diversified Transportation Secure First Contract
Local 533 Motorcoach Operators Win Stronger Wages and Benefits
Press Contact: Alexandra Banash Phone: (510) 418-2612 Email: alexandra@teamjc7.org
(WINNEMUCCA, Nev.) – A group of 114 workers at Diversified Transportation, a subsidiary of Student Transportation of America (STA), have secured their first contract after organizing with the Teamsters last November. The new contract delivers increased wages, a guaranteed seven-hour workday, sick pay, health care, and retirement benefits.
The unit is made up of motorcoach operators who provide transportation services to workers at Lithium Americas’ Thacker Pass, a development and construction project, and to workers at Nevada Gold Mines.
“We knew from Day One that if every member of the unit stood together, we could build an important foundation for many future years of strong contracts,” said Leanna Brown, a member of Teamsters Local 533 and a Winnemucca resident. “This contract sets the standard for other workers fighting for strong contracts in the region. When workers win, our families and our local economy win too.”
The fight for this first agreement spanned many months, but the solidarity of workers throughout the contract fight ensured the company would be held accountable for decades of disinvestment, which had made working conditions unpredictable and unsafe for workers.
“This win is important for the workers and the region,” said Gary Watson, Secretary-Treasurer of Local 533. “From the time we first organized the unit, workers were ready to put in the effort to ensure that the company heard their demand for safer working conditions, fair wages, health care and retirement benefits. The commitment and work everyone put in during negotiations shows in the strong contract that they won.”
Teamsters Local 533 represents approximately 2,600 members across Northern Nevada and Eastern California in various trades. For more information, go to http://teamsters533.org/.