Suppose you were invited to speak at an event where every UNORGANIZED First Group Driver, Monitor and Mechanic were present. As an employee, a Teamster and/or an activist for the "Right to Collective Bargaining" what would you say???

If there was a captive audience of UNORGANIZED workers willing to hear me out for five minutes at the podium I would answer a commonly asked question, "What difference does it make to work a union yard vs. a nonunion yard?"

Here is a short list that would be on my note card in front of me:
* Better Pay
* Affordable Healthcare
* A Pension
* The opportunity to have a voice at work

I would talk about Due Process -- which means that by way of a contract, a bargaining unit member has the ability to be represented in a grieveance and arbitration process. At a nonunion yard, all inside-issues are self-policed by the company, and often go unenforced.

Our wages, benefits and working conditions are negotiated. We have the ability to improve our working conditions when we sit at the bargaining table to negotiate our contracts. In a nonunion yard, as most in my audience would already know, this does not exist. The voice of the workers remains mute and all decisions on this level are carried out by the employer ... only.

My list and speech, as a few others in person, would most likely take longer than five minutes and ... I am sure someone would say, "Great, Rich ... can we wrap up now..."

And ultimately I would close with asking: Why would you NOT want to be union?

Hello brothers and sisters,
I know you can hear me,I hope you will listen to me.
I speak as a First Group employee who wants teamster
representation.Why,you ask yourself.Hell i'll tell you
why we all want to be TEAMSTERS!!We need collective
bargining.The only way we will get the power to have
power of collective bargining,is to be teamsters and
stand as one in the world of corporate greed.
Collective bargining is not just about more money,better
health care,penision plans,stock options or 401k plans
Here is the big picture to me,it's about good working
conditions,that's important.Safer buses,so we don't have
to worry about driving on front tires that are smoother
than a babies butt,and could blow out on the highway
with a bus load of children to school. Maybe engin trouble on a school field trip,in the middle of winter
freezing waiting for someone to bring us another bus.
Then to top all that off,you get all the children back
to school safe,and pull in the yard,tired,cold,hungry
because it really was a day from HELL.The first words
out of a First Group Managers mouth is.What is the matter with you? Why could't you keep the bus running?
.It's your fault you must have not checked the tires.
YOU know yourself you have written those same tires up
5 time in the past,and you were told,take the bus out
anyway.Tell me brothers and sister,do you all think we
deserve to be treated so disrespectfully? No we don't.
WE derserve the respect we have earned as a professional
Bus Drivers.DO YOU AGREE WITH ME BROTHERS AND SISTERS.
TO WRAP IT UP THE ONLY WAY IS WITH COLLECTIVE BARIGING.
WITHOUT COLLECTIVE BARIGING WE ARE NOT ONLY AT WILL
EMPLOYEES BUT AT THE MERCY OF THE CORPORATE LEECHES
WHO ONLY WANT TO BLEED US FOR WHAT THEY CAN!!THEY GET RICH OFF OUR SWEAT!!IS THAT RIGHT ? WHAT DO YOU ALL THINK? CORPORATE CARES ONLY FOR THE DOLLARS.WE CARE ABOUT AMERICAS FUTURE.
WHAT WAS THAT YOU ASKED BROTHERS AND SISTERS,

WHERE DO I SIGH UP??
THATS ALL
THANK YOU
MICHAEL PLUMTREE

My Dear Co-workers,

I know what you go through as drivers, monitors/escorts, because I am one of you. I’ve had my share of spit balls in my hair, middle fingers telling me I’m number one, and verbal disrespect from the youth that I have driven to and from school. So I know what type of vehicles you drive, yellow twinkies with black racing stripes that can go from 0-55 in 2 minutes, if we are lucky, some of us are a bit luckier.

However, we are all standing hear today together given an opportunity to improve our lives as well as those co-workers who could not be with us here today. We have an option to chose what is important in our lives as well in our families lives. Together we can make a difference in our working conditions, Health benefits, wages, and many other benefits that each and everyone of us hold deeply in our hearts.

The way to do it is to stand together, united under one banner, forming a union so we can have a voice, to control our destiny, so we can have control in our future. So our employers cannot control our lives, our hopes, nor our dreams.

We all have hopes and dreams, it is only through our own efforts as a union that we can take control of our fate. We get to choose what we need in our lives and have a voice through negotiations. And once we have a contract, that is approved by all of our members then not only do we have to abide by the rules and regulations, but so does our employer. Our employer won’t be able to fire us with out just cause, they would have to abide by a due process agreed upon in the contract that we approved. They won’t be able to take away any of our benefits, as they can do now. They won’t be able to treat us unjustly, they will have to respect our rights and treat us with dignity.

So my fellow co-workers, right now we are co-workers, however with a Union, a Teamster Union we become stronger, we become brothers and sisters, as a family of TEAMSTERS!

THANK-YOU,
John Bosanac

HI ALL,
I DON'T NEER 5 MINUTES HERE.

ONE QUESTION OR TWO.

WHAT MAKES first student SO GOOD TO WORK FOR,THAT WE ARE ALL AT EACH OTHERS THROATS?

WHY WON'T WE ALL COME TOGETHER LIKE OUR CO-WORKERS IN THE U.K.?

DO YOU ALL LIKE THE LOW WAGES NO INSURANCE DISRESPECT?

WITH GAS 3.67 A GALLON, MILK,EGGS AND YES JEWEL BRAND CHEESE UP 53% FROM DEC.2007.IT'S TIME TO MAKE A STAND.

OR ARE YOU ALL JUST INTO CHARITY WORK OR WEALTHY PEOPLE?

I ASK THIS BECAUSE I HAD A CHARTER 4-17-08 MET 2 first student drivers WHO THINK A P/T JOB AND IT'S THE NATURE
OF THIS INDUSTRY.BULL!!!!
WE ARE PROFESSIONALS AT WHAT WE DO.WE CAN BE FIRED AT THE DROP OF A HAT. WE HAVE A LOT TO DEAL WITH!!!!

WE DESERVE MUCH MORE!!!!!!

that's the way i see it in my humble opinion.

THANK'YA THANK'YA VERY MUCH
Mr.M.W.Plumtree