February 20, 2014: Teamster bus drivers held a contract speakout yesterday and press conference in Burlington, Vt. They have voted 53-4 to reject a contract offer from the Chittenden County Transportation Authority.

“We will not let the public down by driving under unsafe conditions,” said driver Rob Slingerland, speaking at the news conference. “Driver fatigue is a leading factor in accidents in the transit industry.”

Management wants to be able to force drivers to work split shifts of up to 15 hours.

“Long workdays, split shifts and forced overtime are dangerous,” Slingerland said. “We demand that CCTA management respect our and the public’s lives by accepting our proposals for better working conditions. These include maximum workday hours, real breaks and better scheduling.”

The contract speak-out was organized with the Vermont Workers Center and featured Teamster drivers and leaders of AFL-CIO unions in the state.

Click here to read media coverage of this important Teamster struggle.