Please vist our Teamster UK partners T & G and Unite The Union

 
To stop First Student’s abuse of its workers in the U.S., Teamsters went to Great Britain in 2007, and reached out to politicians, human rights activists, trade unions, the news media and the company’s top management.

Aberdeen-based FirstGroup plc had broken it promise to stamp out anti-union activity at First Student, its North American subsidiary. As a result of our work in the UK, we achieved an independent compliance monitoring system to assess the company’s behavior toward its workers. In January, 2008, the company announced it had established an independent monitoring system to address complaints arising out of workplace practices that violate its Freedom of Association policies. Here is a review some of our work in the UK:

Four First Student school bus drivers traveled to London to debunk the company’s claims that it is neutral toward union supporters. Pictured here are Lori Polesel of Walkill, N.Y., George Benedict of Valley Central, N.Y., Shannon Reedy of Wilson Country, Tenn., and Hope Lee of San Diego, Calif.

Transport and General Workers Union (T&G) members work for FirstGroup in Great Britain. T&G national secretary Steve Turner pledged his support to the U.S. school bus drivers after hearing about their treatment. “If we allow it to become that way around the world, it will become the standard,” Turner said.

Meeting in Portcullis House across from Parliament, John McDonnell, MP, (center) heard from the school bus drivers about verbal and physical threats by First Student managers. McDonnell promised “absolute solidarity” and said he would engage in an upcoming Parliamentary debate about the company’s behavior.

During FirstGroup’s annual general meeting in Aberdeen, the school bus drivers told the board of directors about their ill-treatment by the company. Chairman Martin Gilbert said FirstGroup’s “independent” consultants Dan Roketenetz and John Lyons found no evidence of anti-union behavior in the U.S. Under questioning by the Teamsters, Gilbert admitted that FirstGroup is paying Roketenetz and Lyons.

In response to the Teamsters, Gilbert also promised to investigate managers at the company’s yard in Beaufort, S.C. There the National Labor Relations Board found merit to Teamster charges of anti-union behavior. Hope Lee told Gilbert after the meeting that many workers told Roketenetz of problems at the company.

The Teamsters’ trip to the annual meeting--and the union protest outside--was widely covered by the U.K. news media.