Howard County school bus drivers rally for unionization amid disputes with contractor
BALTIMORE -- It's been a bumpy road getting students to and from school in Howard County, with the beginning of the school year riddled with bus driver shortages and route mishaps.
Now, bus drivers employed by the district's largest contractor, Zum, are trying to unionize.
Wednesday morning, Howard County bus drivers employed by Zum Transportation Services, joined members of United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 1994 to hold a rally ahead of their representation vote scheduled for next week.
The rally was held at the school bus yard in Jessup, where bus drivers said they want their employer to hold up their end of the bargain when it comes to the bonuses and benefits they were promised.
Some bus drivers say their pay is calculated by a GPS system that doesn't factor in traffic or any delays that may happen during pick up or drop off.
"I love my kids, I love what I do, I'm passionate about what I do, but guess what? You've got to follow through and pay me and do what you're supposed to do - what you said you were going to do. The benefits you offered me? I could have stayed at the other company but you said you were going to give me something that I wasn't getting there," Angela Scott, a bus driver, told WJZ.
Scott is one of the Howard County bus drivers employed by Zum, leading the charge to join the UFCW.
UFCW representatives claim Zum is using a union avoidance firm and conducting union busting activities.
"This is about the workers having a voice. They have a vested interest in the success of this company," said Raymun Lee, Organizing Director for the UFCW.
Parent and PTA member Daljit Soni says she's still apprehensive about the California-based startup, but hopes a union may lead to more reliable service.
"The bus drivers, they deserve dignity, and until we show them dignity these kinds of problems are going to continue," Soni said.
UFCW Local 1994 claims Zum is using a union avoidance firm and conducting union busting activities.
A spokesperson for Zum Transportation Services responded to our request with a statement saying in part, "We value the open lines of communication that we have with our drivers. If there is a union, that would change, and we do not think that is in our drivers' or company's best interest. We believe that once all the facts are known, our drivers will decide that a union is not necessary."
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