Elizabeth Rhodes, a Durham driver in Kansas City, dedicated this poem to her co-workers who will be voting in their Teamster election on February 24th. She wrote this poem after being forced to attend a mandatory anti-union meeting by her Durham managers. This poem is for all the school bus workers who are standing united and demanding that they be treated with the dignity and respect that all human beings - that all school bus workers - deserve.

United We Can
By Elizabeth Rhodes

I want to live a good life.
I want my children to be proud of who I am.
I want to leave a legacy and a good name.
Aren’t our dreams the same?

But they take from us “like thieves take money”
“Like bees to honey” “Like night to sunny”
“Thick and runny” is the disgrace on our face that remains unfunny
Out with our bonus, Out with our raise, and with it fair pay.

They say it has not come to this.
But the time we spend away from our families is priceless.
Shouldn’t a man be able to find a small sense self worth through the work of his hands
How does a man stand

They may not be able to pay us what we are worth.
But they can pay us what is fair.
If not with one united fist we’ll get ourselves there.
United we can and we must thrust through the doors of Limitation.
Find a united destination and run without hesitation.

United we stand and divided we fall.
Together we conquered it all
Let the Teamsters Union give us a voice
And make the choice to take what is rightfully earned.

To be rich would be good.
To be well to do
Would be okay
But a hard day's work
Must guarantee an honest day's pay.

But with arrogance they send us letters
To force feed us spoons full of sugary
Acid for us to digest
And it lays upon our stomachs like
A bowl full of tape worms en mass

They try to create division for they fear our success
But nonetheless, Fear is “False Evidence” APPEARING REAL
Do not forget what has been taken
Or how you feel

They may not be able to pay us what we are worth.
But they can pay us what is fair.
If not with one united fist we’ll get ourselves there.
United we can and we must thrust through the doors of Limitation.

Find a united destination and run without hesitation.
United we stand and divided we fall.
Together we conquered it all
Let the Teamsters Union give us a voice
And make the choice to take what is rightfully earned.