The teamsters union in Silicon Valley is getting larger with the latest group to join being those who operate shuttle buses for some of the biggest names in tech.
By a 104 to 38 vote 153 drivers from Compass Transportation are now members of Teamsters Local 853 in San Leandro, Calif. The men and women drive Compass shuttles for employees of Amtrak, Apple, eBay, Genetech, Yahoo and Zynga.
Tracy Kelley, a Compass driver, stated there are people who have been with the company for two decades who didn't have much of a future until now.
"We need wages commensurate with what it costs to live in this area, but it's not just about wages," says Kelley. "It's about having better working conditions. We need changes and that's why I called the teamsters."
Kelley spends about eight hours each day between shifts at the bus yard, time for which he isn't paid. Like Kelley, drivers for the company that transport Facebook employees have to wait in Silicon Valley for the morning and evening shifts.
Back in November of 2014, Loop Transportation drivers sought the assistance of teamsters in an effort to unionize and receive better pay. And about a week before Compass employees voted to join teamsters, Loop drivers and teamsters reached an agreement with Facebook that will see shuttle operators receive higher pay and better working conditions.
"These are life-changing improvements for these drivers that because of Facebook will make the drivers more able to live a more sustainable life, support their families, have decent health care and something for the future," stated Rome Aloise, Teamsters Local 853's International VP and secretary-treasurer.
Loop's drivers were paid between $18 and $20 per hour, but the unpaid time stuck in Silicon Valley effectively diminished those hourly rates. The drivers will now receive between $21 and $25 per hour and that pay will increase to between $22.50 and $28.50 in three years.
Teamsters is now asking Apple, eBay, Zynga, Genentech, Yahoo and Amtrak to follow Facebook's measures in moving to improve the quality of shuttle drivers' lives.
"This is another step, in addition to the Facebook drivers, for the workers who support the tech industry to move forward toward decent wages, affordable health care and a pension for the future," says Aloise.
