Trending...
- One Phone Call Is All It Takes to Lose a New Dental Patient — Here Is Why
- Five-star Review for Berklee School of Music Textbook
- Melospeech Inc. Awarded New NYSDOH BEI Contract in New York
SEATTLE, May 24, 2023 ~ Nearly 150 Zūm drivers and technicians, represented by Teamsters Local 174, are on the brink of a work stoppage after voting overwhelmingly to authorize a strike.
The vote was held on Sunday morning, with 95 percent of workers in attendance voting in favor of a strike. The workers are frustrated with the slow pace of contract negotiations and the refusal of Zūm to agree to basic language allowing them to honor a picket line. This is especially concerning given that the contract with the other school bus provider for the district, First Student, already set a clear standard for school bus drivers and mechanics in Seattle.
Rick Hicks, Teamsters Western Region International Vice President and Local 174 Secretary-Treasurer said: "As these negotiations have dragged on, it has become clear that Zūm made an unrealistically low bid to the Seattle School District to take this work, and they want to pass responsibility for that decision onto their workers rather than themselves. These hardworking bus drivers refuse to accept less than they deserve just to help protect Zūm's bottom line, especially when Zūm executives were the ones who made the poor business decision to underbid this contract. They can either live with that decision, or they can face a strike by their workforce."
More on Washingtoner
School bus service for SSD had previously been exclusively provided by First Student until the end of 2022 when SSD chose to award roughly half the work to California-based Zūm. The newly hired employees quickly organized with Local 174 which already represented workers at First Student and negotiations for a first contract have been ongoing since then. With the end of the school year rapidly approaching, workers used this strike vote as an ultimatum for Zūm that they were tired of working without a contract.
Teamsters Local 174 represents 8,600 working men and women in Seattle and surrounding areas since 1909.
The vote was held on Sunday morning, with 95 percent of workers in attendance voting in favor of a strike. The workers are frustrated with the slow pace of contract negotiations and the refusal of Zūm to agree to basic language allowing them to honor a picket line. This is especially concerning given that the contract with the other school bus provider for the district, First Student, already set a clear standard for school bus drivers and mechanics in Seattle.
Rick Hicks, Teamsters Western Region International Vice President and Local 174 Secretary-Treasurer said: "As these negotiations have dragged on, it has become clear that Zūm made an unrealistically low bid to the Seattle School District to take this work, and they want to pass responsibility for that decision onto their workers rather than themselves. These hardworking bus drivers refuse to accept less than they deserve just to help protect Zūm's bottom line, especially when Zūm executives were the ones who made the poor business decision to underbid this contract. They can either live with that decision, or they can face a strike by their workforce."
More on Washingtoner
- Flint Youth Film Festival Shifts Gears, Becomes Vehicle City Film Festival
- Celebrate Tacoma's Top Volunteers and Service Providers at the 2026 City of Destiny Awards
- 62% of Gen X have no estate planning documents — Trust & Will research identifies "the Sandwich Gap"
- Nayarit's Jungle Coast Redefines Luxury Travel on Mexico's Pacific Now More Accessible Than Ever
- $10 Million Annual Revenue Merger, Profitable Partner in AI Powered Specialty Automotive Sales Projected to Scale Above $200M: Stock Symbol: NWPG
School bus service for SSD had previously been exclusively provided by First Student until the end of 2022 when SSD chose to award roughly half the work to California-based Zūm. The newly hired employees quickly organized with Local 174 which already represented workers at First Student and negotiations for a first contract have been ongoing since then. With the end of the school year rapidly approaching, workers used this strike vote as an ultimatum for Zūm that they were tired of working without a contract.
Teamsters Local 174 represents 8,600 working men and women in Seattle and surrounding areas since 1909.
0 Comments
Latest on Washingtoner
- New Homesites Released at Heritage at Manalapan Featuring Scenic Golf Course Views
- The Andover Company Co-Brokers Largest Puget Sound Office Lease of 2026
- The Ultimate Solution to Halt Thermal Runaway
- Olga Torres Earns Repeat Recognition as a Top 2026 CFIUS Advisor
- Strategic Talent Associates Launches THE ALIGNED RESET™
- Calvetta Phair Founder & CEO Earns AOPA Foundation Flight Training Scholarship, Inspiring a New Generation of STEM Dreamers in Underserved Communities
- MTV EMA Nominee and WOA Founder Oliver Sean Conferred Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) Degree
- Spokane Police Arrest a Hospice Facility Caretaker
- Tacoma: Homicide Investigation – 400 block of S J St
- Spokane police investigate a stabbing in the area of Thorpe & Westwood
- City of Tacoma Modernizes Access to Municipal Code Online
- Karen D. Gentry Announces New Book Focused on Relationships and Personal Growth
- New plusOne Research Finds the Orgasm Gap Is a 30-Point Chasm — and Confirms It Isn't Biology
- CCHR Report Links 145 Violent Incidents to Psychiatric Drug Exposure, Urges National Oversight and Action
- Statement from District 4 Council Member Sandesh Sadalge on Home in Tacoma Year One
- 'Home in Tacoma' Sparks 62% Increase in Number of Proposed Housing Units in First Year
- Food Journal Magazine Unveils Its Latest 'Best of Los Angeles' Culinary Discoveries
- Boston Industrial Solutions Launches Natron® 717S Series: A New Flexible UV LED Ink for Ricoh GH2220 Printheads
- 5 Things NYC Courier Services Won't Tell You About How Same-Day Delivery Actually Works
- Spokane City Council Votes in Support of Moving Forward the STA Ballot Initiative