First Student Employees Vote To Join Local 633

The school year has just begun, but the momentum of the Teamsters National Organizing Campaign to drive the standards in the school bus industry has not cooled at all.  The eighty-six (86) bus drivers and monitors at the Swanzey, New Hampshire First Student bus terminal voted by an overwhelming two to one (2-1) margin to become Teamsters.

Secretary/Treasurer David W Laughton stated, “ Although a lot of these employees had the summer off, we have been vigilant in keeping in touch with them and their families.  Since the beginning of 2008 we have organized and negotiated at a record pace.  My hat is off to the Swanzey First Student employees and I wholeheartedly welcome them to Local 633.  Our next order of business is to negotiate improvements to their working conditions, pay and benefits, like we have been doing throughout the state”

This marks the fifth First Student location in New Hampshire to vote overwhelmingly to join Local 633. Joint Council 10 Organizer Roger Travers said, “ this campaign was tough right from the start, but when we showed these brave men and women the Teamster difference, there really was no question as to how they would vote.  We make no promises; we simply rely on worker-to-worker organizing.  We had multiple volunteers from other Teamster First Student locations looking to tell of their experiences after they had their Teamster contracts in place.  I am proud of the work that this committee accomplished, it was a great result.”

Teamsters Local 633 has requested negotiating dates and contract proposals are set to be taken in the next several days. This organizing campaign was the first for project Organizer Robin Loder.  Robin was a First Student bus driver who was instrumental in organizing her own facility.  When asked how it felt to be the Organizer rather than the employee she stated, “ it is very satisfying to know that we have taken the first step to making an enormous change in the lives of these working families.  Things got a little hectic as the election drew near, but we knew we had a strong committee, and it would work out in the end.”

Teamsters Local 633 represents over five hundred (500) bus drivers throughout the state of New Hampshire.