New Orleans Laidlaw Drivers & Monitors Overwhelmingly Vote for Teamsters More Than 15-1 Margin

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/02-01-2007/0004518450&EDATE=

New Orleans Laidlaw Drivers & Monitors Overwhelmingly Vote for Teamsters

Workers Choose Teamster Representation by More Than 15-1 Margin

NEW ORLEANS, Feb. 1 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Laidlaw school bus
drivers and monitors regained their voice in the workplace, overwhelmingly
voting for the Teamsters Union as their bargaining representative.
Before Hurricane Katrina ravaged the area, about 450 school bus workers
had Teamster representation while working for the New Orleans Public
Schools. After the hurricane, school transportation services were
contracted to Laidlaw, leaving the workers without union representation. Of
the approximately 350 workers currently employed by Laidlaw, the nation's
largest private school bus company, only 39 are former school system
workers who returned after Hurricane Katrina.
"The hurricane dispersed so many community members and students," said
David Negrotto, President of Local 270. "Because of the flooding we went
from over 100 schools to about five. We are rebuilding, and with the
incredible assistance of the International, we were able to win
representation for these workers."
The large margin of the final vote tally of 241-16 left no doubt that
this group was determined to have the Teamsters Union as their
representative.
"We have been through so much and we have worked so hard together,"
said Laidlaw driver Zandra Batiste. "We wore our shirts, rallied together
and passed the word around. We are very happy that we formed our union."
The workers in New Orleans are now part of more than 7,000 Laidlaw
school bus and transit workers represented by the Teamsters and are the
latest group to be organized as part of an effort to organize private
school bus drivers across the country.
Driving Up Standards is a national campaign by the Teamsters, Service
Employees International Union (SEIU) and the Transport and General Workers'
(T&G) union to improve safety, service and work standards in the private
school bus industry, specifically targeting private school bus companies
like Laidlaw and First Student. The Teamsters have organized more than
1,600 workers at First Student over the past six months.
Now that they have their union, they are looking forward to improved
working conditions, which will enable them to more effectively contribute
to an economy and community as it continues to rebuild. Jim Hoffa,
Teamsters General President, met with the workers and participated in a
rally two days before the vote.
"The most important part in rebuilding a community after a disaster
like Katrina is helping people lift themselves up, regain their identity,
their respect," Hoffa said. "With this victory 350 people can go to work
knowing they are part of something bigger, something that allows them to
take an active part in directing their future. I am just honored they have
allowed our union to be a part of that process."
Founded in 1903, the Teamsters Union represents more than 1.4 million
hardworking men and women in the United States and Canada.

[northofdenali]

1. Good for them!!

Laidlaw supplies the school bus drivers, monitors etc. here in the North Star Borough, but fires anyone who attempts to organize. It's a shame - the Teamsters were such a strong union here until Jesse Carr screwed it up during the Pipeline days.