First I'd like to congradulate all the workers on lasts Friday's 1st shirt day. You all showed the the Durham and their management that this is your time, your campaign and your turn to have a voice in your workplace. As we told you weeks ago that Durham would now try and show you that they care. They did this when they hurriedly put together the luncheon for you all. It's amazing that just the thought of your organizing has made then change their stripes. They said thing is that even after the company tried to do something they should have been doing all along there had to be that one person who doesn't want to respect you and your wishes to have a union. This happened when one of your dispatchers, name unmentioned because you all know who it was, had to prove that Durhan and their management really hasn't changed. When a supervisor send out an mass email and calls all the workers "Free Loaders" who attended the luncheon with your campaign shirts on. This person needs to pick up a dictionary and look up the definition of "Free Loader". You not a "Free Loader" when you attend an activity that was planned for you. Just understand where the comment came from and that this is the kind of respect you've gotten from Durham in the past and they haven't changed. This era will soon change and you as a group will teach the true meaning of Respect, Fairness, and concern for their workeforce!
There was a big meeting today with one of the Durham corporate suits and Vivienne, Elsa and Kathy. As we told you Durham will soon start their campaign of negativity, mis-leading company facts, anti-union materials purchased from LRI online, captive audience meeting where Durham will force you to come and listen to their "information". Just remember that their main job is just to scare the socks off you and make you second guess yourself on forming a union. If they can get you to do this they win and you continue to lose. Don't let them do that to you anymore. Stand together as you have been doing and send a message to Durham that you will no longer accept their dictatorship. That you want a say in your treatment in your workplace.
I would also point out that Durham will tell you to get our promises in writing. For one if you ask anyone how has talk to us that we have made no promises to any of you. We can tell you that other durham workers how have gone through this process ahave made gains that they decided on. When Durham tells you to get it in writting tell them you plan to when you all come together, develop your contract together, when you vote on your contract together, when you make gains together and finally make Durham respect you as Professional School Bus Workers together!! You will get it in writting when you have your signed contract!
Santa Ana, Irvine and Laguna
Santa Ana, Irvine and Laguna Beach, it's your time to shine. I am a current employee with Durham School Services at the Jacksonville, Florida location. We too had enough of Durhams empty promises, lack of respect, poor working conditions and less than desireable benefits and wages. We decided it was time for CHANGE! We started the process of becoming organized and we won our union vote 2 to 1. We had to suffer through listening to Durhams management staff deliver false information about union organizations and how they are only out to get your money during our captivated audience meetings.We were told we should get the unions promises in writing. But when an employee asked the GM if we could get his promises of higher wages and additional paid holidays during out kick-off meeting at the beginning of the school term, he reluctantly declined. We glady informed the GM that the union had not promised us a thing, but he sure had and did not follow through like so many times before. The union had only guaranteed that they would work hard to support us, represent us and to negotiate the things that were important to US the EMPLOYEES because this is OUR UNION!
Durham will pull out every scare tactic they can in order to convince you to vote no. They will concentrate on strikes and union dues. The way we looked at it in Jacksonville... Durham was cheating us out of unpaid wages weekly that equaled more than what we would pay in union dues, so it was a no brainer! At least with union representation we are getting what we pay for, instead of getting cheated out of what we worked for. They posted anti-union posters throughout the facility. They even stooped to the level of trying to scare the employees that are on public assistance with FALSE information on having their benefits cancelled in the event of an economic strike. How pathetic and low was that? Don't let them scare you out of your chance to have a voice and make a change in your work place. If you stand alone, you are only one small voice. But if you stand together, you are all one HUGE voice and change will come about.
If you are satisfied with working for free (unpaid wages), being disrespected, not having affordable benefits and having to work in poor working conditions on unsafe equipment, then maybe a union is not what you desire. But if you are looking to better yourself and your family with increased wages, affordable benefits, better working conditions, safer equipment and the respect that you rightfully deserve, then a union is exactly what you need.
If you didn't stand to gain something, the company would not be fighting your efforts to organize. It's time that you the employees had control of your future.
STAND STRONG,STAND UNITED and VOTE YES!
To the Durham Workers who
To the Durham Workers who are trying to organize and come togather to be come UNION, let me tell ya, its worth every bit of effort you can give. We won our UNION in Jacksonville Florida and it took alot of time and hard work, but we drivers came togather and stood up as one and over came all the rumors and the scare tactics that durham tried. They pulled out every trick in the book and all the intimidations they could and let me tell you they tried it on everyone who was backing the UNION. Don't give up and don't let the big wigs try to change your minds cause you've already made a big step in the right direction so don't let them push you back or around anymore, stand your ground show them that you know that they have contracts with their employer and that its only fair that you have one also. Theres gonna be alot of talk trying to tell all the negitive union stuff but tell them to prove it just like they're telling you, and they won't cause they can't, so ask them that if its so bad to bring in the UNION then why are they trying so hard to stop it, because they know that its gonna bring change and in a magor way and that their not going to be able to treat the DRIVERS the way they have been because with the UNION you have a voice and someone to back you thats willing to go the distances. So good luck and stand tall and show durham that you are serious about change and that its only gonna come with the UNION stepping in because you are the UNION. GOD BLESS.