October 16, 2019

Wage increase and new job classification accepted by Local 174 First Student drivers

On Saturday morning, 400+ First Student school bus drivers unanimously voted on amending their current labor agreement. The changes will add a substantial wage increase and a new driver classification that will greatly expand their workforce. Teamsters Local 174 members at First Student provide all yellow bus service for the Seattle School District.

These victories were cemented on Saturday after our members packed the Seattle School Board meeting two weeks ago to make sure their voices were heard. On the line was a vote to give more funding to First Student to fix the driver shortage in the Seattle area. Our members filled the room at the School Board meeting and delivered a very clear message to the School Board. “We have the very best professional drivers, and they should be compensated accordingly,” said Teamster Local 174 Senior Business Agent Abraham Taylor, who represents the school bus drivers.

The new contract language ratified at Saturday’s meeting will govern the creation of a new job classification of non-CDL drivers, who will provide van service through the school district to children who cannot be accommodated by regular yellow bus service. This work was not previously performed by First Student, but was instead performed by taxis, Ubers, and other private carriers. Bringing a large piece of this work in-house is a tremendous victory for the members of Teamsters Local 174, as the new fleet of vans will be driven 100% by Teamster drivers.

First Student had previously struggled with recruiting enough drivers to cover all the routes they are required to run by the School District, and so the Teamsters negotiated a substantial mid-contract raise for the drivers in September of 2018. While the prior raise helped with driver recruitment and retention, it quickly became clear that more would need to be done if First Student hoped to fully staff their operation. This new pay increase should go a long way towards achieving that goal.

“We are glad to see these hardworking school bus drivers being recognized and rewarded for taking on such a particularly challenging job,” said Teamsters Local 174 Secretary-Treasurer Rick Hicks. “The hours are difficult, yet our members truly love their work making sure the children in our community make it to school safe. This unanimous vote is a true victory for our members at First Student.”

Founded in 1909, Teamsters Local 174 represents 8,100 working men and women in the Seattle area. “Like” us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TeamstersLocal174.