If you’re following the Boston school bus drivers’ struggle, you know how courageously and fiercely this union is fighting Veolia.
The militant rank and file of USW Local 8751, the Boston School Bus Union, urgently need your personal and financial support. They are fighting Veolia, now renamed TransDev, a multi-national company based in France that runs segregated bus lines in the West Bank and seeks to privatize the world’s water supply. Since taking over the Boston School Bus management contract on July 1, 2013, Veolia has totally disregarded the union contract and worked overtime to union-bust Local 8751. On October 7, 2013 they locked out the members and unjustly terminated 4 of the local’s leaders. Since then the 4 and the rank and file have waged a relentless struggle to get the 4 rehired and against Veolia’s unfair labor practices and to defend their contract, including holding 3 massive solidarity day rallies. But Veolia has also escalated, bringing frame-up union-busting felony charges against Steve Kirschbaum, one of the four fired leaders and founder of the local, for conducting a union meeting in accordance with the union contract.
This Monday, the fighting women and men of Local 8751 PACKED Dorchester District Court, turning the pre-trial hearing for Steve Kirschbaum into a union hall — and the building’s front steps into a militant, raucous demonstration. This is a union whose rank-and-file does not quit!
What you may not know is that the unemployment benefits of the four fired drivers have long expired. The fired leaders – Steve Kirschbaum, Garry Murchison, Andre Francois and Steve Gillis – are attempting to wage this struggle AND carry out union duties without their former school bus income.
On behalf of the union, we are requesting help with the crowdsourcing campaign in support of these fired drivers.
This means, above all, taking a few moments to share this appeal with everyone you know.
If you can contribute $10, $15 or $50, please do so. The most important thing, though, is to help spread the word.
Trumped-up FELONY charges remain against Local 8751’s grievance chair and founder, Steve Kirschbaum – and a fraudulent campaign to disbar Kirschbaum’s lawyer, Barry Wilson, is now under way.
Helping the Boston school bus drivers prevail will be necessary to preserving an outstanding progressive local who fights for union rights as well as for LGBTQ rights and Palestine. It’s also necessary for keeping Kirschbaum out of jail and fighting in the revolutionary struggle.
Most of all, a victory in Boston could be the turning-point spark that helps turn back the onslaught of austerity and push our class in a fightback direction.
In a crowdsourcing campaign, everyone can participate — whether they are able to contribute money or not. Send an e-mail to help get the fired school bus drivers their jobs back, beat back the frame-up charges against Steve Kirschbaum, and win a just contract for the union!
Partial LIST OF ENDORSERS for the Boston School Bus Drivers’ Campaign to
Reinstate the 4 Fired Union Leaders of USW Local 8751 – Drop the Frame-Up Charges on Grievance Committee Chair Kirschbaum – A Just and Fair Contract – Stop Veolia Union-Busting
(list in formation 9/15/14)
United Steel Workers
Steven A Tolman, President, Massachusetts AFL-CIO
Ramsey Clark, Former US Attorney General
Kshama Sawant, Seattle City Councilmember
United Steel Workers, Local 8751
Andrew Slipp, Staff Representative, United Steel Workers, District 4
Mel King
IBEW Local 2222 (Telephone workers union)
Myles Calvey, Business Manager, IBEW Local 2222
Boston Pride At Work
Rich Rogers, Secretary-Treasurer, Greater Boston Labor Council
Charles Yancey, Boston City Councillor
Chuck Turner, former Boston City Councillor
Johnnie McInnis, President, Black Educators Alliance of MA*
San Francisco School Bus Drivers, UTU 1741
Charles Clemons, TOUCH 106.1, Boston
San Francisco Labor Council
Amalgamated Transit Workers Union, Local 1555, BART Workers (San Francisco/Oakland)
Troy Area Central Labor Council
Boilermakers Local 29 (Boston)
Nick Giannone III, Executive Board, Boilermakers Local 29
UE Local 150, North Carolina Public Service Workers Union
Clarence Thomas, Executive Board, ILWU Local 10*
Joel Funfar, IFPTE Vice President, Local 2001, SPEEA
(Seattle Professional Engineering Employees Association)*
Coalition for Equal Quality Education
Veterans for Peace – Smedley Butler Brigade (Boston)
Susanna Smith, Stop Veolia Seattle*
Susan Mortimer, Mass Prison Voice, Arlington, MA*
Anne Slater, National President, Radical Women*
Dave Welsh, Delegate, San Francisco Labor Council*
Michael Letwin, Labor for Palestine; NYC Labor Against the War
Carl Gentile, National Representative, the American Federation of Government Employees (AFL-CIO)*
Postal Defenders
Jose A. Rosado, ATU, Local 587*
Max Veckich, Local 52, ILWU*
Linda Averill, Shop Steward, ATU Local 587, Seattle*
Susan Williams, Doctors Council, SEIU Local 10MD*
Diane Sabeghi, SEIU Local 221, San Diego*
Scott Houldieson, UAW Local 551*
Rosendo Delgado, Steward, UAW Local 412, Unit 1*
Howie Rotman, 1199SEIU Activist, former President AFSCME 1489, former Chapter Chair 1199SEIU at Boston Medical Center, AFRAM Member 1199SEIU
Judy Wraight, Former Tool and Die Executive Board Member, UAW Local 600*
Ron Lare, Former Executive Board Member, UAW Local 600*
Wendy Thompson, UAW Local 22*
Honorable David Maynard, Hillsborough County Water & Conservation Board, FL*
Shane Hoff, San Francisco Labor Council Delegate for UTU 1741, San Francisco School Bus Drivers*
Joe Piette, Community-Labor United for Postal Jobs and Services- Philadelphia
Joe Lombardo, Delegate, Troy Area Central Labor Council*
Johnnie Stevens, Community Labor United for Postal Jobs & Services*
Andre Powell, Delegate, Baltimore Central Labor Council*
Sharon Eolis, NYSNA former Grievance Chair at Cabrini Medical Center
May 1 Coalition
Sara Flounders, International Action Center
Frank Neisser, Peoples Power Assemblies, Boston
Brian Shea, WW Disability Caucus
Carl Finamore, Delegate SF Labor Council, IAMAW 1781*
Sara Catalinotto, Parents to Improve School Transportation, NYC*
Paul Bigman, Executive Board, Martin Luther King County Labor Council*
Sue Harris, Peoples Video Network, NYC
Rabat Abdulhadi, California Faculty Association
Douglas Spalding, Founding Member, SEIU Local 790a
Mike Kuhlenbeck, National Writers Union UAW 1981, Iowa*
Patrick Burns, Steering Committee, Organized Workers for Labor Solidarity, Seattle
Len Cooper, Secretary, Communication Workers Union, Australia
International Socialist Organization, Boston Branch
John Spritzler, People for Democratic Revolution, Boston*
Joseph Hancock, Party of Communists*
Ben Atteberry, IWW, Nevada*
Richard Krushnic, SEIU Local 888*
Tiamba M. Wilkerson, Amherst, MA, UMass Amherst PhD Student, GEO-UAW member*
Phil Wilayto, Editor, The Virginia Defender, Richmond, VA
Christine Williams. Former TWU Local 100 Executive Board Member 2010-2012*
Marty Goodman, Former TWU Local 100 Executive Board Member
Jaime Veve, Organizer, Ret., TWU Local 100
Mara Taub, Coalition for Prisoners Rights, NM*
Gloria Rubac, Steward, Houston Federation of Teachers Local 2415, Retired*
Kim Scipes, Chicago Chapter, National Writers Union, UAW #1981*
Minnie Bruce Pratt, National Writers Union, UAW 1981*
Susan E. Davis, National Writers Union, UAW 1981*
Mahtowin Munro, co-leader, United American Indians of New England*
Martha Grevatt, Alternate Shop Committeeperson, UAW Local 869*
Mike Gimbel, Chair, Labor/Community Unity Committee, Local 375, AFSCME*
Janet Van Fleet, AFSCME, Local 2083, Seattle*
Resa Gross, Retired AFSCME Member, Baltimore, MD
Moratorium Now! Coalition to Stop Foreclosures, Evictions and Utility Shutoffs
Michigan Emergency Coalition Against War and Injustice
Stop the Theft of Our Pensions Committee
Susan Schnur, Amalgamated Transit Union Local 268*
David Sole, Former President, UAW Local 2334
Autoworker Caravan
Liza Green, Women’s Fightback Network, Boston
Michael Ladson, Fight Imperialism Stand Together (FIST)
Angela Smith, Co-Founder and National Coordinator, HEAL-ONLINE.ORG*
Brendan Anderson, Metro Transit*, White Bear Lake, MN
Jane Kentner, OH
Carolyn Poinelli, Boston
Rose Rivers, Chicago
Chris McConkey, Trumansburg, NY
Lewie Patrie, Ashville, NYC
Martha & John Stoltenberg, WI
Toni Caldwell-Clark, Kansas City
Zeri Bishop, Portland, OR
R. Zwarich, Brookfield, MA
Tim Allport, Arvada, CO
Beverly Wendling, North Freedom, WI
Tana Amstutz, Leander, TX
Veronica Norton, Acworth, GA
Dexter Arnold, Nashua, NH
Linda Horan, Alstead, NH