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.”
FINALLY, maybe now we’ll be treated with respect, and be able to afford our bills and provide for our families/ Congratulations Brothers and Sisters. Now we can negotiate a better way of life!!!
Here is another scenerio: A young bus driver with two children picks a run (The Union controls run picks). This young driver has been with the company for 5 years and has moved up in seniority. She now realized that one of her kids is a lousy sleeper at night and she cannot get him up early enough in the morning to do her run so she asks to switch her run. There are many runs available. She is told by the Union that her “Pick” is a binding contract and she can’t switch. But oh yes she can if she quits, goes to the bottom of the seniority list as she hopes to be rehired and then do her pick. This is the control Unions have over you.
oh and by the way, my girlfriends at First Student pay up to $600 a month for health insurance. Many time their weekly checks dont even cover it. Where did you all get the idea that union PAYS for you benefits. 900 votes of Yes. They should all have gotten better information
Everyone who voted for this Union does not realized that Acme is subcontract out to many school districts. When and if you have a problem with the school district that you drive for and you are fired or decertified, a representative from the non union school district DOES NOT have to come to your hearing to hear your side of the story. I worked for Laidlaw, I was accused of something at the high school, I had two hearings and both times the accuser DID NOT come to the hearings and rightly so because she worked for the high school and did not my union. We are treated fine and paid well in my WH office and I pity us now for joining this stupid union. I don’t want it
scare tactics and strike threats have to come to a end ! bauman and his union buster Steve beyer are breaking the law in order to stop our unionization. you must stick together in order to overcome and win!
Lets hope another greedy boss like Ron Baumann gives the workers the pay and health benefits they deserve. His dad was a good man and a smart man the son is just a greedy rish spoiled rotten guy who never worked a true day in his life.
Those drivers do deserve to be paid and treated fairly! Nobody should be shorted on the pay they work for..Good luck to you. I support you workers as a tax payer.. Good luck.The boss gets rich and the workers starve. Stay strong .
The drivers’ pay affects YOUR taxes LI! The bus companies are no better and no worse than any other private sector employer where costs and overhead MUST be managed. To the drivers: welcome to the REAL WORLD of emplyers who “misdirect” paychecks that are never replaced or have deductions for non-existant unions, or who are incorporated under two/three different names though operate out of the same ofice so they can spread out your hours and not exceed 40 even when you work 75+, etc. I’ve seen it all and it is just the way things work in the USA these days.
These bus people should be getting paid for all time worked. It`s hard enough to survive on L.I. with a job that doesyou correctly. I hope my childs bus driver is being paid for his service he provides.
I support all the bus drivers that are under paid and overworked. They deserve a union that will support them. They don’t need a company taking hours of their pay away from them that they deserve!