Kingston, Ontario, June 27, 2008 – With an overwhelming majority of support, one hundred and forty one (141) school bus drivers of Stock Transportation Ltd. in Kingston, Ontario, have voted in favour of being represented by Teamsters Local Union 91. The vote, supervised by the Ontario Labour Relations Board, was held this morning at the Stock bus yard on Coronation Blvd.. While the Labour Board has not yet certified Teamsters Local Union 91, today’s vote has made that result all but certain. This vote comes off the back of an earlier win on Wednesday where Stock mechanics also voted for Teamsters representation at a separate vote. “We are thrilled at the turn out,” said Teamsters Local Union 91 President, Brian MacDonald, “and we are thrilled at the result.” Stock is the latest school bus company that Teamsters Local Union 91 has organized in Eastern Ontario. Earlier this year, Local Union 91 completed collective agreements with three school bus companies in the Belleville area. Teamsters will now represent over two hundred bus drivers in the area, and hope to continue to organize.
“School bus drivers are terribly underpaid,” said MacDonald. “We trust these drivers with the lives of our children on a daily basis, yet they are paid less than what some high school students make in their summer job. It’s not right! We are going to do everything we can to make sure they are treated fairly and with respect. The drivers really worked hard to get us to this point, and to open a door to a brighter future. They are the purest example of what a group of determined people can achieve. They have entrusted the Teamsters, and we will not let them down."
Teamsters Local Union 91 was assisted in their organizing efforts by John Hull and Ed Arabic, Teamsters organizers from the Toronto area, and local organizers Ian Cobb and Rick Airhart. Throughout Ontario, Teamsters have been organizing school bus drivers and workers in an effort to raise standards across the school bus industry.
