Our Priorities

“We never backed down in the fight for decent wages, fair treatment and better safety standards. By forming your union, you can have a say in the changes you want to see made.” George Benedict School bus driver First Student Valley Central District, New York

At each First Student location where school bus workers are forming a union, the drivers, attendants/monitors and mechanics have answered surveys about their priorities, i.e., how they feel about their jobs, what is most important to them and what they would like to see change.

The results shown here are from surveys of school bus workers nationwide—from Anchorage, Alaska to Charleston, South Carolina. The results have been combined, for a final percentage. As you can see, many of us face the same concerns nationwide.

Survey Results:

Health Insurance

• 85% of those surveyed said that bus safety was important to them.
• 81% do not use the company health insurance.
  
• 60% do not use the company health insurance because it is too expensive and/or provides too little coverage.
  
• Of those who use the company insurance, 88% are dissatisfied with it.
  
• 27% have foregone medical coverage--including everything from checkups to surgery--because of the problems they have with First Student health insurance.

• 84% of those surveyed said that bus safety was important to them.
• 87% said they should have the right to refuse to drive unsafe buses.

• 70% of employees do not feel like First Student values their service.
• 85% said seniority should be taken into account when assigning routes.

• 91% of employees said that getting paid sick days was important to them.

• 96% of those surveyed said that better pay was important to them.
• 86% said that they should be paid extra for double routes.

Overall, safety, seniority rights, respect from management, fair wages, decent and affordable health care, paid sick days, job stability and the elimination of favoritism are issues that are important to the majority of school bus workers with First Student.

These surveys are important because the results help with drafting contract language, which reflects our priorities. The negotiating committee that we elect then sits down as equal partners to make a change in the workplace.