Union Marks Accomplishments, Highlights Need for Further Improvement

The International Brotherhood of Teamsters announced the formation of the Teamsters National School Bus Safety Committee in honor of National School Bus Safety Week, which begins today. The committee is being formed to address safety issues at school bus companies throughout the United States and Canada.

The Drive Up Standards campaign, founded by the Teamsters more than 10 years ago, has focused heavily on safety because it is a major concern for many bus workers. School bus drivers and monitors at non-union facilities often face dangerous conditions on the job from mechanical failures to physical assaults taking place on the bus. These safety concerns often put students and the community at risk.

“One of the best outcomes of workers coming together to join the union is that they get to see improved safety conditions,” said Jim Hoffa, Teamsters General President. “Employers can be held accountable when there is a contract in writing and Teamster contracts are some of the strongest in the country.”

“We’ve made a lot of progress driving up safety conditions in the industry,” said Rick Middleton, International Chairman of the National School Bus and Transit Bus Drivers’ campaign. “With that said, we still have a lot of work to do. We have shown that Teamster drivers are strong and will stick together to demand the highest standards of safety for our members and the students they transport.”

The Teamsters’ Drive Up Standards campaign is a global campaign to improve safety, service and work standards in the privatized school bus and transit industry. Since the campaign began in 2006, nearly 50,000 drivers, monitors, aides, attendants and mechanics have become Teamsters. For more information on the Drive Up Standards campaign, go to www.driveupstandards.org.

Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 1.4 million hardworking men and women throughout the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico.

An affiliate of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Teamsters Joint Council 25 is America’s premier labor union for Chicago, Illinois and northwest Indiana.