School bus drivers and other employees at First Student Transportation will vote April 18-19 on whether to join Local 284 of Service Employees International Union.

The National Labor Relations Board scheduled the new election after throwing out a spring 1999 vote, saying the bus company illegally interfered with the employees' attempt to unionize and committed unfair labor practices during the election campaign.

First Student has nine terminals in the Twin Cities area and transports students for a dozen local school districts, including St. Paul, Mounds View, North St. Paul/Maplewood, St. Anthony/New Brighton, and Minneapolis.

Shelly Hagglund, an organizer for Local 284, said the company, which was owned by Ryder at the time of the 1999 election, already has launched a full anti-union campaign. Local 284 says tactics include captive audience meetings, misleading mailings to drivers' homes, and one-on-one interrogations by supervisors.

This article was written for the March 21 issue of The Union Advocate newspaper. Used by permission. The Union Advocate is the official publication of the St. Paul Trades and Labor Assembly. E-mail The Advocate at: advocate@mtn.org