Page 7 - Work Force March 2016

Bus drivers, staff form union with model campaign
Har vey
“Our sick
time, medical benefits and seniority rights were taken away from us. We are also overworked and understaffed. Management kept taking more and more and it was
Indian River First Student workers celebrate forming a union with CSEA.
Private sector school bus drivers in CSEA’s Central Region are pushing back against difficult working conditions by choosing to form a union with CSEA.
County Local President, and School Unit President Roni Timerman were integral members of the campaign team working tirelessly and hand-in- hand with organizers and workers on the path to victory.
Model campaign
It was a model organizing campaign with high vote turnout and low opposition. Workers enjoyed an environment virtually free of overt union busting or intimidation. The new, faster National Labor Relations Board rules ensured momentum would not be lost, and the Indian River group and
CSEA worked well
together.
workers. I saw them being harassed, intimidated and bullied so, I jumped at a chance to help them organize,” said May.
Harvey said it was tough for a while. Communicating with everyone and being on different schedules
was hard but they made it work with support.
Mike Cocco, also
a driver, worked
in corrections for
nearly 40 years
before retiring,
has held various
elected offices in
CSEA since 1974
and was very
helpful in providing
worker and union perspectives
to help dispel fears and correct misinformation about being union.
“I found myself saying to people, ‘I don’t know where you get your information from but that’s not the way it works. I’m not telling you people this because I’m guessing it, I
lived it,” Cocco said.
“I told them there’s a lot that
comes from being a CSEA member. You’re not just a union dues paying member. You belong to
an organization that is more than 250,000 strong. There’s a lot that comes along with that. I would
tell them, ‘be a good, dues paying member and you will understand what you get for it.’ We need to not be passengers in our union. I wanted for them to understand all that’s there and to take advantage of. It only helps us be as strong as we possibly can be,” Cocco said.
“All members of the work force need a little help sometimes and
the union can help with that. We need everyone in leadership to get involved. We can’t wait around. We as organizers must get out there and help the non-union members of the work force become members,” May said.
— Jill Asencio
time to level the playing field. We held a vote amongst ourselves to choose who we wanted to begin organizing with and we chose CSEA,” said Jason Harvey, a driver with FIrst Student at the Indian River School District. “We wanted to make sure we were treated fairly and with dignity.”
The 134 bus drivers and related personnel voted overwhelmingly to join CSEA. Lynn May, Jefferson
Cocco
“I work in the same school district as that First Student
bus company. I saw how the bus company manager was treating the
May
March 2016
The Work Force 7