Tuscaloosa, AL - Bus drivers, with the support of students at the University of Alabama (UA), are organizing a union campaign to win a living wage. The bus drivers shuttle students, football fans and others around the UA campus. Student activists are riding the buses to sign up student supporters for the bus drivers. The 62 Crimson Ride Shuttle Bus drivers work for FirstGroup PLC, a huge British multinational corporation. The union drivers and students are exposing the British company’s big ripoff of Alabama workers and taxpayers.
The bus drivers, most of whom are African American women, make only $9.50 per hour. This salary puts the drivers and their families below the poverty line. In May of 2009, the Crimson Ride Shuttle Bus Drivers at the University of Alabama unanimously voted to join the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 1208, but still do not have a contract. Without a contract there are few benefits. The drivers have no job security. There are no guidelines regulating termination. The drivers are paid nothing during university holidays. Many work two jobs to make ends meet.
The University pays FirstGroup PLC $55 per work hour - a huge profit of over $1 million a year. The drivers are demanding a living wage of $14 per hour - a fair wage comparable to other state university bus drivers. $14 per hour will raise them out of poverty. FirstGroup PLC has not yet agreed to a negotiating meeting with ATU Local 1208. If a contract has not been negotiated by May, the union will vote to take further action.
Members of UA’s Students for a Democratic Society chapter are working hard to promote student support for the bus drivers. Tia Brown, a Crimson Ride driver and union steward said, “Students have the power to put a lot pressure on the university to do something.” SDS has been flyering around their campus, as well as making announcements on the Crimson Ride buses, to inform other students about the driver’s union and their demands.
A member of SDS, Jenae Stainer, said, “African American workers continue to struggle for equality, especially here in the South where we have not yet overcome the history of racism. Though people may have moved from the back of the buses to the drivers’ seats, they still don't have the justice they deserve.”
UA students have shown a lot of solidarity with the hard working drivers, many agreeing to sign a petition in support of the drivers’ demands. SDS plans to have 1000 student signatures by Feb. 11. On that day, there will be a national call-in day for union proponents to demand that the president of the University of Alabama tell FirstGroup PLC to pay the drivers a living wage. The number to call on Feb. 11 is 205-348-5103.
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I'm a Crimson Ride Driver
At the risk of losing my job, let me say this: I'm not black. I'm not a woman. I'm a white male, who had a reversal of fortune and took this job out of desperation. I have a B.A. from the UA.
At first, I was grateful to get a job with First Transit. Then, I couldn't believe that such oppressive working conditions existed in this country. It's been a learning experience, to say the least.
I owned my own businesses for 24 years. I never considered myself a union advocate. Hell, I thought unions caused problems. But yall can't imagine the abuse we drivers endured before ATU was voted in by an unprecedented, 100% YES vote.. ATU has been around since the 1800s, and never had a 100% yes vote. What does that tell you about First Transit's operation here?
First Group (the parent, UK corporation) knows jobs are scarce and are exploiting us in this dismal economy. We were (and are) abused by poorly trained, unskilled, low paid supervisors that rule by intimidation. Authority is the only tool they have. ATU has been instrumental in getting rid of these abusive supervisors, and working conditions have improved somewhat since they were voted in.
We are allowed to use the bathroom, pretty much on request now. Not always.
First Group is exploiting their employees in this recession. To quote one management person: "Why should we pay more? We have no problem hiring people for $9.50 per hour".
There's a LOT of turnover in employees. Since ATU doesn't protect management, there's been a lot of supervisors "disappear". An air of fear and paranoia pervades this whole Crimson Ride operation. But, hey... it's a learning experience, so I'm learning.
Peace. Out.
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