September 22, 2018

In wake of school bus driver shortage, First Student agrees to across-the-board pay increases for Local 174 members

This morning, in a purely symbolic and very loud voice vote, hundreds of Local 174 members who drive school buses for First Student approved major pay increases for themselves. The increases will be effective on Monday, and are as high as 22% for new drivers in their first year. Every driver will receive a meaningful increase, and the pay progression will be compressed so that it will now take a driver seven years to reach top rate, rather than ten.

The pay increases come on the heels of a major strike undertaken by the drivers in February of this year, which shut down yellow bus service throughout the Seattle School District for over a week. That strike was a huge success, winning the drivers quality affordable healthcare and contributions toward a secure retirement.

However, even those meaningful improvements have not been enough to allow First Student to recruit and retain enough employees to fulfill its contractual obligations to the Seattle School District – leading First Student to approach the Teamsters with an offer to raise driver pay. Not only will the new pay rates give everyone an immediate increase, but those increases are also guaranteed throughout the life of the contract and will provide the floor for negotiating new pay rates once the contract expires.

“We were glad when First Student decided to approach us to collaborate and find a solution to the driver shortage, which we have seen coming on the horizon,” said Teamsters Local 174 Director of Negotiations Patty Warren. “This collaborative approach is a testament to how much our relationship with First Student has improved since the strike was settled, and we look forward to that relationship continuing in the future.”

“We have been telling First Student for a while now that they need to invest in their workforce if they want to keep them, and this is a major step in that direction,” said Local 174 Secretary-Treasurer Rick Hicks. “We believe it may still take more action by First Student to solve their recruitment and retention problems, and we are ready and willing to discuss those potential solutions with them. In the meantime, we are happy for our members and the big pay increases they will begin to enjoy immediately. They deserve every penny!”

Founded in 1909, Teamsters Local 174 represents 7,200 working men and women in the Seattle area. “Like” us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TeamstersLocal174.