First Transit drivers who transport tourists and employees to and from Disneyland amusement parks in Anaheim, California, have voted to join Teamsters Local 952 in Orange, California, seeking respect, fair wages and better working conditions at the company. There are 127 workers in the bargaining unit.
The workers stood strong and united during their campaign to win Teamsters representation. Terry Goldman, a First Transit driver at Disney, helped lead organizing efforts for the unit by educating his coworkers on the value of Teamsters representation.
"I worked under a union contract for 20 years at another transit company, serving as a shop steward and helping in the negotiation process," Goldman said. "I explained the benefits of collective bargaining from my own experience to let people know how important it was to have the backing of a strong union."
Betty Webber, a First Transit driver who also helped lead organizing efforts, has already begun sending out bargaining surveys to the more than 100 workers who will benefit from the protection of a Teamster contract.
"We're making sure everyone's voice is heard," Webber said. "The real strength of any union is the right to engage in collective bargaining. First Transit drivers at Disney now have that right."
"The Teamsters are organizing transit, paratransit and school bus drivers. People recognize that we have a good remedy for income inequality and to achieve fairness in the workplace, and this election validates that point of view," said Patrick Kelly, secretary-treasurer of Local 952. "This organizing win also couldn't have happened without the support of the International Union. Special thanks to General President Jim Hoffa, General Secretary-Treasurer Ken Hall and International Vice President Rick Middleton for their continued mission to drive up standards for transit workers."
This victory is the latest in an effort to organize private school bus and transit workers across the country. The Teamsters' Drive Up Standards is a national campaign to improve safety, service and work standards in the private school bus and transit industry.
