Local 1590 Unanimously Ratifies New Agreement with WeDriveU

With a unanimous vote, the members of SMART-TD Local 1590 (Van Nuys, Calif.) have ratified a contract with WeDriveU!

Covering bus operators and dispatchers, the agreement includes…

• An immediate, significant hourly wage increase
• Just Cause job protections
• Union Orientation for new hires
• The ability to wear union insignia at work

Ratification Comes After Years of Unexpected Detours on the Road to a Contract

Negotiations are rarely ever considered “easy,” but Local 1590 had a particularly long, hard-fought journey before reaching its recent milestone that demanded years of perseverance.

Originally, the members were employed by Coach USA in California and bounced between a few other properties before eventually ending up at another company called Four Seasons.

Instead of coming to the bargaining table to negotiate a contract once they took over, Four Seasons simply chose not to recognize the workers as a bargaining unit after realizing that they were organized.

By this point, Local 1590 was simply working off its old, original agreement with Coach USA from several years before.

That’s when SMART-TD leadership got involved and things took an interesting turn.

Close, But No Contract for Local 1590

After Four Seasons started playing games, SMART-TD Bus Department Vice President James Sandoval and former General Chairperson of GCA-Coach-Pacific Coast (878) Travis Johnson took the situation to the National Labor Relations Board whose decision was straightforward: Four Seasons had to recognize Local 1590, start bargaining a new contract, and post a notice to all employees that they will not interfere with their union protections and bargain in good faith. The company agreed and said that it would follow through with the requirements the Board had given it.

With the decision handed down, VP Sandoval and GC Johnson immediately got to work negotiating a new contract that would replace the old, outdated one.

But after a few months of negotiations with Four Seasons, they were blindsided.

The property was abruptly sold to what was now a fourth company and the significant progress that had been made towards securing a contract was thrown into limbo.

Years of Dedication, Persistence Eventually Pay Off with WeDriveU

Through years of uncertainty and anti-union sentiment from each of the various companies, Local 1590 finally won the contract it deserved with WeDriveU thanks to the tenacity and determination of VP Sandoval and GC Johnson.

It would have been easier to simply throw in the towel over the course of this multi-year fight, but VP Sandoval notes that GC Johnson refused to let that happen.

“Most people or unions would have given up somewhere along the way, but Travis and Local 1590 did the exact opposite,” said VP Sandoval. “Every member of this group deserves credit for knowing what they wanted and that it was worth fighting for. Travis made sure that everyone stuck together, and it paid off.”

Local 1590’s vote is personal for VP Sandoval: it’s his first unanimous ratification vote.

“This is a great feeling. This vote took years to accomplish, especially with everything that the local had thrown at it. I’m proud of Travis and the members for the example that they’ve set within our union.”

Congratulations to Local 1590 for ratifying your new agreement after years of work!