Shuttle Drivers For Silicon Valley Tech Companies Approve Union Package

The drivers who run the commuter shuttles for seven big Silicon Valley companies voted unanimously Saturday to approve a union proposal that would increase their wages and benefits, the Teamsters Union said in a statement. The vote, held at the Teamsters Union hall in San Leandro, California, was 75-0.

The contract, which includes provisions like hourly pay increases over the three-year contract, employer contributions to a defined pension plan, shift differential pay and a six-house minimum for drivers who do not work split shifts, covers the employees of Compass Transportation. The charter company is contracted by tech companies Apple, Yahoo, Evernote, Ebay, Zynga, Genentech and Amtrak.

Negotiated over a period of five months, the contract will now be presented to Compass Transportation for review, the Teamsters Union said. Much of the proposal is based on another Teamsters agreement with Facebook crafted for the employees of Loop Transportation, another shuttle bus tech company. That proposal was approved in February.

“The overwhelming vote is an indication of the significance of the changes made by this contract, most of which are going to be life-changing for the people that drive these buses, and for their families,” Rome Aloise, principal officer of Teamsters Local 853, said in a statement.

Compass Transportation Senior Vice President Bryan O’Connell told USA Today its discussions with the Teamsters have been “constructive and productive.”

"We look forward to our employees having the opportunity to vote on an actual formal contract offer from us in the near future," O’Connell said.