Working Under a Teamster Contract, For Less Than Minimum Wage

[Omaha Steve]

This is so wrong!

http://www.labornotes.org/2010/11/working-under-teamster-contract-less-minimum-wage

Jane Slaughter | December 14, 2010

Teamster bus attendants in New York City are working under a union contract that pays new workers less than minimum wage. Through a mass meeting, group grievances, leafleting, surveys, and legal action, they’re demanding their rights from their employer—and their local.

The company, Outstanding Transport, contracts with social service agencies to ferry mentally and physically handicapped adults to educational programs and on field trips. The company employs drivers, who start at $360 a week, and attendants, called “matrons,” mostly women, at $175.

The contract specifies a work week of 40 hours “within a twelve hour spread”—which would translate to an hourly rate for a starting matron of $4.38. Driver Natalie Adams explains that both drivers and matrons work split shifts, typically a morning run of around three hours and an afternoon run of four hours. In between, they are required to attend classes, check and clean the bus, and drive frequent mid-day field trips.

Keyva Walker, a matron for seven years, said owner Charles Curcio claims the matrons work only five hours a day. She had just dropped off her last client of the day at 6 p.m., after a 6:30 a.m. start time.


Outstanding...Not! Drivers and bus attendants at Outstanding Transport, who take mentally and physically handicapped adults to educational programs and on field trips, are learning that they have rights, too.


PATIENCE

“Doing this job takes a lot of patience,” says Walker. “You have to genuinely care about these people to do this job. Some can’t talk, to tell you something’s wrong, some have behavior problems; we have biters, spitters, strippers.”

Since the workers’ agitation began, Walker said, Curcio is attempting to make their hours look shorter. “He just gave us a new policy on new company letterhead,” she said. “We’re supposed to meet the driver at pick-up time instead of report to the office. Payroll starts then, and once the last consumer is off the bus we are off the clock.”

In 2008 Curcio signed a contract with Teamsters Local 854, which represents mostly school bus drivers. The Curcio family owns several of the largest companies in the local and pays widely varying wages.

FULL story at link.

[demosincebirth]

1. All unions have their sweet heart contracts. Sad.