There is a struggle for economic justice going on right here at the UA campus, and it deserves our support.
The drivers of our Crimson Ride buses are being short-changed and mistreated by First Transit. First Transit’s parent company, Britain’s First Group, which also owns Greyhound and a huge share of the school busing market, rakes in tens of millions of dollars in profits from its U.S. operations by cutting labor costs to an absolute minimum. The University pays First Transit more than $55 an hour per driver, yet driver salaries are capped at $10 an hour.
Sound like a fair wage? It’s not.
Drivers with families are living under the poverty line. Several of the drivers who work full time for Crimson Ride are forced to work other jobs to make ends meet. Because the health insurance First Transit provides is inadequate, many drivers try to get state health benefits by driving part-time for local school districts. The drivers get no vacation pay and are forced to take unpaid leave during winter break.
Driving a transit bus is not like driving a car to school. It’s a demanding job that requires skills and a special license.
Seeking a fair deal, the CrimsonRide drivers voted last May to join Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1208.
Many of First Transit’s workers in the U.S., Canada and the UK have also joined unions. With a union contract, the workers have a layer of protection against the rapacity of the corporation — they can file grievances against mistreatment and unjust firings and have some control over their lives on the job.
But the UA drivers don’t yet have a union contract. First Transit is stalling talks with the drivers and the ATU, hoping to wear down their resolve. Eight months later, these tactics haven’t succeeded. But they can use our support to help break this deadlock.
When so many people are unemployed right now, why should we care about how much these drivers make?
We should care because the drivers are part of our community. We should care because we depend on them to get to class safely and efficiently. We should also care because struggles for economic justice have greater ramifications.
Unionized workers set the standards for wages and benefits in a given area. Furthermore, it’s important for all working people to stand up to corporations who have been forcing real wages lower and lower for decades. Income inequality in the US is at an all-time high. Our laxity regarding issues of economic justice is one reason why this economic downturn is so severe for those of us whose incomes aren’t in the seven or eight digit range.
We can assist the Crimson Ride drivers by telling UA officials to put pressure on First Transit. Call UA President Robert Witt on Wednesday and tell him First Transit needs to do the right thing.
Jim Toweill is a graduate student in English.
