Howard County’s Zum school bus transportation employees voted 110-78 against unionizing Tuesday, though the group behind the unionization effort is challenging the results.
A spokesperson for Zum said via email, “Today Zum’s drivers and attendants elected to work directly with Zum. We are grateful to our drivers and attendants, who are at the heart of what we do. We respect their choice and will continue to ensure that they experience industry-leading pay, benefits, work culture and career growth. We are excited to partner with them to provide safe, reliable transportation for the families of Howard County. We look forward to the certification of this result.”
Raymun Lee, spokesperson for United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 1994 Municipal and Government Employees Organization (MCGEO), said in an email to Baltimore Fishbowl, “There are still 41 ballots that are being challenged and because they could determine the election, the NLRB has not certified the results. Regardless of the outcome, we hope that Zum will take heed of the employees’ needs and reasons for seeking a voice and become a better employer.”
Lee told Fishbowl he was not certain how long it would take for the election results to be certified, but he predicted it might take two to three weeks. He also said in an email statement, “I don’t foresee the challenge ballots changing the outcome of the election.”
Zum management had initially expressed no preference about whether their employees voted to join the union. Soon after employees filed with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) seeking a vote, however, Zum leaders began hanging large banners at bus depots urging drivers to vote against membership and holding “captive audience meetings” with drivers, Lee told Baltimore Fishbowl last week before the vote.
Among their complaints, employees alleged the company engaged in inaccurate record-keeping regarding drivers’ hours, resulting in lower paychecks than they deserved, and reneging on bonuses owed to workers.
