Teamsters Local 174 announced Saturday afternoon that 97 percent of members who voted did so in favor of the proposed new contract.
The agreement includes expanded benefits and comprehensive health-care coverage for drivers and their families, Teamsters and First Student said Friday. The union declined to release details Saturday, but in a news release, labor officials said the contract provides drivers with a Teamster pension plan they characterized as the first for contracted school-bus drivers in Seattle and possibly the nation for First Student drivers.
“This is life-changing,” the news release quoted driver Olivia Moore as saying, adding that she has struggled to get medical treatment because she has no insurance. The deal, she says in the release, means, “ I can go to the doctor. I can retire someday. I can’t even tell you how much that means.”
