NLRB files complaint against Ardsley Bus Co.

[Omaha Steve]

http://lohud.com/article/20090709/NEWS02/907090459/-1/SPORTS

By Stacy A. Anderson • [email protected] • July 9, 2009

ARDSLEY - A federal agency has filed complaints against a bus company that serves several school districts in Westchester County, claiming it has violated federal labor laws.

The claim filed this week by the the National Labor Relations Board accuses Ardsley Bus Corp. of unfair labor practices by discouraging membership in a union and failing to bargain collectively and in good faith with union representatives.

The company provides bus service to school districts in Ardsley, Mount Vernon, New Rochelle and Yonkers, as well as charter bus services.

The complaint says company general manager Thomas Gillison made threats of physical violence to employees at least five times since 2008. He is accused of kicking an employee during one of the incidents in June 2008, the document said.

Since last summer, the company has negotiated in bad faith and refused to assign regular, charter and extra routes according to the seniority provisions of the collective-bargaining agreement in an effort to discourage employees from being union members, the claim said. The Transport Workers Union, Local 100, which represents the company's 200 drivers and monitors, requested a list of dates, hours and pay rates of bus routes open for bid four times last year.

The claim said the company also fired bus driver and Local 100 representative Cesar Uchofen in January, in retaliation for his union activity. The day before Uchofen was fired, he distributed surveys regarding upcoming negotiations to workers waiting for annual physical exams. Ardsley Bus called police to stop Uchofen and remove him from the site.

FULL story at link.