HOFFA, SCHOOL BUS DRIVERS STAND STRONG WITH FIRST STUDENT SCHOOL BUS DRIVERS AND AIDES

(Baltimore, MD) ? Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa pledged the support of the entire union last week to First Student school bus drivers and aides in Baltimore, Maryland, who are fighting to improve bus safety and workplace conditions.

You are not alone in this battle,? Hoffa said at a Baltimore rally for the workers. ?You have the support of each and every one of the 1.4 million Teamsters across North America. By standing together to form a union, you are sending a powerful message to First Student?your concerns will not be ignored any longer.?

Last week, Iowa City First Student workers overwhelmingly chose Teamster representation, marking the first victory in the national Driving Up Standards campaign, a joint effort by the Teamsters, Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and British transport workers union Transport and General Workers (T&G), to improve safety, service and work standards in the private school bus industry.

Your brothers and sisters in Iowa City stood up against an aggressive and vicious anti-worker campaign by First Student, and I am confident that you have the same strength, dedication and commitment,? Hoffa said. ?I know you won?t let corporate intimidation tactics stop you from securing your voice in the workplace.?

"The employees at first student have an excellent opportunity with their upcoming vote to join the Teamsters," said Sean Cedenio, Secretary-Treasurer of Local 570 in Baltimore, Maryland. "They have been deprived of wages and health care, which they cannot afford. It is time to turn it around and they can do so by voting yes on June 1."

We?re not the ones who are scared?it?s First Student who is scared, now that the Teamsters are here,? said bus driver Rose Marie Sandlin. ?We want to be Teamsters. We want a strong voice on the job so we can address the issues that matter to us most, like safety. As Teamsters, we are going to be heard.?

Founded in 1903, the Teamsters Union represents more than 1.4 million hardworking men and women in the United States and Canada.