School Bus Drivers Move to Unionize

By Lindsay Christ

Baumann/Acme Bus Company employees gathered Aug. 17 with union leaders and elected officials at the company’s Bohemia bus yard where they accused the management there of infringing on workers’ rights.

Donning t-shirts that read “the wheels on the bus go union now,” the school bus drivers demonstrated their desire to become part of the Teamsters Local 1205 union. “We are here to send a clear unambiguous message to Baumann/Acme,” said Timothy Lynch, president of Teamsters Local 1205. “They must treat their workers with the respect that every human deserves.”

The union filed a complaint with the Brooklyn office of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), which investigates unfair labor practices under the National Labor Relations Act for the Long Island region. Among the allegations are that the company unlawfully interrogated employees, threatened to close the business if they unionized and that they laid off employees in an attempt to undermine the unionization campaign. The allegations are currently being investigated and if they are found to have merit, the complaint will be heard before an administrative judge.

Baumann/Acme denied the allegations. “People have to understand that this company has dealt with many unions over the years. We are not anti-union,” said Mark Portnoy, a Baumann/Acme representative, who then took a personal shot at Lynch.

Joe Hentz, a driver, said that the company took him off his run because they said that a child reported he was smoking on the bus and that there was a picture of him doing it. When he asked to see the picture, they refused to show it to him. “I can’t even defend myself,” Hentz said. “We just want to feel like people, not like slaves.”

In another action taken against a separate regional office of the bus company, similar allegations were investigated and a complaint is nearing its day in court. “We’ve concluded that we have reasonable cause to believe that they committed unfair labor practices,” said Elbert Tellem, assistant to the regional director for the NLRB’s Manhattan office, which investigates claims for New York City’s northern suburbs. That case is expected to be before a judge on Sept. 22.

The Long Island Federation of Labor (LIFL) also showed to support the LI-based workers’ plans to join the union. Roger Clayman, executive director of the LIFL, assured the workers that “they are not alone.”

Suffolk County Legis. Kate Browning (WF- Shirley), a former bus driver, also showed to support the workers. Having worked for both union and nonunion bus companies, she had words of advice to the Baumann/Acme drivers: “You have to stay united. You have to stay strong.

“They are always telling you that you drive precious cargo, but they don’t treat you accordingly. A lot of people say that these are just bus drivers, but these are the people taking care of your kids, getting them to school and home very safely.”