Melanie Willner

First Student Bus Driver
Baltimore, Maryland

Campaign: Driving Up Standards Together

Melanie Willner loves her job, she's just not happy with her employer, First Student. It's a U.S. subsidiary of the British-based multinational FirstGroup, which made more than $110 million in profits on its North American operations last year.

For the last 13 years Melanie's job has been to drive a busload of energetic kids to and from school -- getting them there safely and on time. She's proud that no one has ever been hurt while in her charge. She's completely committed to her career -- and her kids.

But her employer has not returned the commitment in kind. After nine years with First Student, Melanie still gets no paid sick days or personal days, and only two paid holidays. She does get five vacation days a year -- the hitch is they are unpaid!

Melanie's luckier than many of her co-workers. Her husband's in a union, which has negotiated comprehensive health coverage that provides her with protection and peace of mind. Her colleagues are much more at risk. Health insurance offered by First Student is simply unaffordable for most employees at more than $4,000 a year for a single person and at least $9,000 for family coverage.

Melanie's trying to change things. She wants better health benefits for her co-workers. She'd like to get paid for the occasional snow day and for a few sick days. Most of all she wants First Student to abide by some rules of common decency and not be able to run roughshod over its employees. The bottom line  -- she's tired of managers suspending or firing workers for raising reasonable concerns about some tasks they are asked to do.

Six years ago workers at First Student tried to unite into a union, but their effort failed when some of them were taken to dinner and smooth-talked about how things would change. "Well, nothing has changed," said Melanie, "except the company's more sophisticated efforts to block the workers' efforts to secure justice." From an anti-union DVD, to propaganda stuffed in paychecks to outright lies - the company's favorite misleading claim is that the union will raise workers dues whenever it wants - First Student is applying the brakes. But this time workers are seeing a green light ahead.