Tom Trujillo, president of the AFT-affiliated Rio Rancho Transportation Federation, had dealt with the public school system in Taos when he was an officer and negotiator with an another AFT local. “We negotiated with a private company and got most of what we wanted,” Trujillo says of his more recent experience in Rio Rancho. The agreement includes a 7 percent raise, a fair share provision, binding arbitration, seniority rights and a new safety committee. “We got a lot of things to make working conditions better,” he adds.

The bargaining in Rio Rancho, which is just outside of Albuquerque, was helped by an ongoing driver shortage. Durham, like contractors and school districts around the country, has had to improve pay and benefits to attract enough drivers.

The campaign to win bargaining rights, which ended in a 65 to 18 vote for the new AFT local, was also easier than anticipated, Trujillo says. That might have been due in part to two previous unsuccessful attempts by the Teamsters to organize the drivers. The company mounted aggressive anti-union campaigns, and Trujillo surmises that they probably expected another no vote this time.

The bus drivers are clearly happy with the new contract; only 10 of 85 in the unit are not members, and Trujillo is confident he can get rest to join.

One downside of a private employer is a health insurance plan that is far more expensive than that offered to public school employees in the district. “The insurance is so expensive that many people can’t afford it,” Trujillo says. The union is seeking to get its members included in the district’s insurance system, but that would require approval from the state Legislature so lobbying at the state capitol is an additional necessary activity.

With their contract set to expire next summer, Trujillo and the union’s leaders are already talking to members and planning for the next round of negotiations. But for now, they are happy to be one of the newest members of the AFT family.