Five complaints could be all it takes.
Complaints filed against certain Panther Express shuttle drivers last semester have worried other drivers that their jobs are now at risk.
An earlier investigation by The Signal revealed that Georgia State is planning to request a new fleet of buses that will decide whether the university stays with First Transit or changes transit firms.
Michael Sproston, director of Parking and Transportation of Auxiliary and Support Services, could not be reached as of press time to confirm the status of the plans.
The situation the Panther Express drivers at Georgia State are facing is not unique either.
In December 2009, First Transit laid off 40 Georgia Tech bus drivers after it lost a biding competition when the university decided to change firms.
“What our experience has been at Georgia Tech, when they fired 40 drivers literally weeks before Christmas, citing a couple complaints and also demanding that the contractor buy a whole new fleet of buses, they hired the new drivers without any on-the-job security, no guarantee of a pay raise and if the drivers [got] in any accidents, they had to pay out of pocket for the damages,” Ben Speight, union representative for Teamsters 728, said.
Fear of being let go now lingers among bus drivers.
“I’ve been driving for six years, and none of the times [I’ve been driving ] have I received a complaint,” Kathy Stafford, Panther Express Blue Route driver, said. “It’s kind of a bummer when all the positive things going on out there are never heard of.”
As of now, First Transit remains one of the few transportation companies to have a collective bargaining agreement with the workers, allowing them to get minor raises and benefits that many other transportation companies do not provide. Though, First Transit abides by the freedom of association policy, allowing employees the choice to part of a union or not.
“The [freedom of association policy] provides our employees the option to choose union membership or to not be a part of the union,” said Timothy Stokes, spokesperson for First Transit. “No employee is ever forced to join a union, as we leave that decision up to our employees. At every First Transit location that has union presence, it is our goal to always work closely with its representatives and keep a strong and positive relationship.”
The collective bargaining agreement covers workers’ rights such as wage increases, health and welfare, paid holidays, vacation, overtime pay, hours of work and their 401(k).
Despite the agreement, drivers still feel unsafe about job security and feel that their good work goes unnoticed.
“We work here for the students. We work here for you. We are here because of you and we want to do a good job and we think that we have been doing a pretty good job, but sometimes it seems that it’s overlooked and the negative things come to the surface more,” Stafford said.
Sandra Simpson, office manager of Teamsters 728, also noted that the majority of drivers have never had a single complaint.
“This is a very difficult system where there is no due process where people can’t confront. And usually what I find out is…that [the cases] are usually not black and white,” Simpson said.
As Simpson noted, the procedure that drivers go through when a complaint has been filed against them does not allow them to argue their case, which makes it difficult for the accused to maintain their job.
As of press time, neither Sproston nor First Transit could be contacted to verify the status of the request, which would determine the future of all Panther Express drivers.
–Correction–
First Transit laid off 40 Georgia Tech bus drivers, not fired as previously indicated in the article. (Updated 2/13)
Good article.