The following statement was provided by First Student's Stephanie Creech:
"First Student and Local 251 have been involved in the renegotiation of their current contract, which expired July 2014. In November 2014, First Student provided the Union with an offer the company believed to be fair and equitable. This offer was rejected.
Negotiations resumed in December 2014. At this time, with the assistance of a federal mediator, First Student and Local 251 reached an agreement on a new four-year contract. This agreement was accepted and signed by Local 251 lead negotiator and Asst. Business Agent Nick Williams, as well as all members of the Local 251 bargaining team. At the time, Mr. Williams stated he would recommend and endorse the agreement for ratification. The terms of this agreement included:
* Above-market wage increases, averaging 5 percent per year.
* A compromise was reached increasing the pay guarantees from 2.5 hours to 2.75 hours per shift. Of particular note:
* This guarantee represents the minimum number of hours for which a driver receives pay per shift. If the driver works beyond this minimum guaranteed number of hours, First Student pays for all hours worked.
* The current 2.5-hour guarantee, which is above industry standard, is contained in the current CBA between First Student and Local 251. It was negotiated and agreed to by the Union and has been in place for the past four years.
* Additional fringe benefits for all drivers, which include paid holidays and increased 401k matching contributions.
* Driver wages that range between $17.75 and $24.00 per hour, with more than half of this workforce at the rate of $24.00 per hour.
In January 2015, however, Mr. Williams informed First Student that the agreement was rejected by a vote of 44 to 15. Disappointingly, only 59 of a possible 184 employees (or, less than one-third of the employees) were able to attend the meeting at which this vote was taken.
Contract negotiations remain on hold between First Student and the Teamsters.
Upon news of Local 251’s intent to strike, and in accordance with the First Student-Teamsters National Master Agreement, First Student invoked a 21-day cooling off period, which commenced Tuesday. The cooling off period is designed to allow the Teamsters’ National Union Committee the opportunity to assist the local union in seeking a resolution to the dispute. First Student remains in communication with the Teamsters’ National Union Committee and is hopeful for a timely resolution."
Teamsters Fire Back
Nick Williams, Assistant Business Manager for the Teamsters Local 251, responded to the allegations made by First Student:
"First of all, I signed a statement that said I would recommend the offer to the members. I never signed a ratification agreement. Ratification is 100% based on member vote. I can recommend an offer, but I cannot put a gun to their heads and make them vote yes. I made it clear to the company that the 3 hour guarantee was a must have since day 1 and they refused to include that guarantee in their last best and final offer. That is why the members rejected the offer.
The second vote was taken on a day where Providence canceled school because it was "too cold". The union mailed a letter to every members house a week prior to this cancellation informing them of the time and date of the vote. Once Providence had canceled school, the Union took to social media and direct communication via texts and phone calls to let the members know that the ratification meeting was still on.
According to the IBT constitution, when conducting a ratification vote, if more than half of the membership participate in the voluntary Democratic process of a ratification vote, then a simple majority would represent a quorum. If less than half of the membership are present, I would need a two-thirds majority to represent a quorum. The two thirds bar was met with the second vote, in compliance with the constitution. First Student asked me to take a "revote" which I refused. The Teamsters are not in the business of re-voting a contract that the members have overwhelmingly rejected based on the company not being happy with the outcome of the vote.
This is sour grapes. First Student would not be mentioning the attendance at the ratification meeting if the vote had gone the other way. I absolutely signed an agreement to give a yes recommendation on the offer. But I am NOT the Union. The members are the Union. I am merely their representative. And the members have spoken."
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