For Immediate Release
Friday, December 15, 2000
School Bus Drivers Vote for AFSCME Representation
Laidlaw employees say organizing provides them a voice
WASHINGTON —Close to 130 school bus drivers and attendants employed by Laidlaw Transit of Catonsville, Md. have voted for representation by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, AFL-CIO, (AFSCME) following a December 12 vote. The win resulted from an organizing drive by AFSCME Council 67 of Baltimore.
The employees, who transport thousands of children in the school systems each day throughout Baltimore City, Baltimore and Howard counties, are among the least paid school employees in the area, organizers said. In addition, the company contributes little or none of the employees' health insurance premiums. Lack of compensation, along with favoritism, retaliation and other arbitrary management practices have led to high employee turnover.
"We're proud of the work we do," said driver Bettie Brandt. "But we have serious issues that deserve serious attention, and we just weren't getting that from Laidlaw.
"We decided to organize with AFSCME to ensure we have a voice at work to address our concerns. As a union, we'll be able to gain some respect for our work and contribution to Laidlaw and the community. When you're supposed to safely transport hundreds of kids, you need experienced employees," Ms. Brandt added. "A constant flow of new employees doesn't add up to a steady workforce."
A cohesive committee of 18 workers helped AFSCME organizers plan activities to build support among their coworkers. Employees signed cards to show their interest in unionizing, leading to an early-November petition to the National Labor Relations Board, the federal agency that conducted the election.
Organizers point to other AFSCME success stories this year among public schools, such as the affiliation of 3,500 school employees in Kentucky and the enlistment of 700 school food service workers in Florida.
Laidlaw Transit is part of Canadian company Laidlaw, Inc. (NYSE ticker symbol LDW), a firm with over 95,000 employees that purchased Greyhound in March 1999 and also owns a major waste-hauling firm.
AFSCME represents 1.3 million public service workers nationwide, including 120,000 school board and school bus employees.
