On Wednesday, August 20, 2008, Granby school bus drivers employed by First Student ratified a new collective bargaining agreement.  Although it is a small unit, the drivers, working with UFCW 1459 Secretary-Treasurer Dan Clifford and steward Iris Ciecko, were able to secure wage and benefit gains that put them on par with other non-prevailing wage communities.

Prevailing wage protections are an important tool in protecting private sector union employees that perform public sector work.  Unfortunately, Massachusetts General Laws’ prevailing wage protections do not cover such workers if the town, city, or school district has a combined population base of less than 16,000 residents.  As such, non-prevailing wage eligible union workers must fight much harder than their prevailing wage eligible counterparts in both maintaining and advancing their wages. 

Prevailing wage laws, for those that are covered under them, are not perfect.  Such laws in Massachusetts cover only unionized employees’ wages.  Benefits and working conditions (in other words, the largest part of a collective bargaining agreement) are exempt from prevailing wage determinations.  

Congratulations are definitely in order for our Granby school bus drivers!  In spite of adversity and the threat of non-union school bus companies taking over the school bus revenue contract, our members worked with Local 1459 officials and came out on top.