Bus drivers with Zūm, the transportation company contracting with Howard County Public School System, voted to unionize, according to a Wednesday news release.

The 300 drivers, trainers and bus attendants are joining Teamsters Local 570, a Baltimore chapter that represents workers in a number of industries, including passenger transportation.

“With an overwhelming yes vote, Zum transportation workers have sent a resounding message to their employer that they will no longer be treated with disrespect and offered the bare minimum,” Sean Cedenio, the chapter’s secretary-treasurer, said in a news release. “Today, we celebrate and tomorrow, we get to work on fighting for a first Teamsters contract.”

Karl Fernandez, a Zūm driver, said in the same news release that Zūm’s management has made false promises and wanted Teamsters’ representation to get “a collective bargaining agreement that includes better wages, stronger benefits, safe working conditions and protection from unfair treatment,” he stated.

Zūm became a contractor for Howard County schools in 2023 and flew in 70 drivers from Washington state to help cover its 230 bus routes. The company came under scrutiny when 20 drivers were no-shows during the first week of school, leaving thousands of kids and their families to find another way to their destinations. School system officials and school board members spent the beginning of the year sorting through the mayhem, and by October, Zūm reported a “nearly 100% on-time pick-up performance.”

But since then, transportation staff have been treated unfairly, said Dwight Blackwell, a Zūm driver.

“We aren’t asking for a lot, just to be offered the same opportunities as management — like paid holidays, annual leave, and a pay raise,“ he stated in a news release. ”Most importantly, we want to be paid for the days that schools are closed for inclement weather and teacher meetings because we have not received a full paycheck since before Christmas break.”

A Zūm spokesperson said the company supports the drivers’ rights to organize, “including their right to decide whether they want to be represented by a union and their right to have a voice in this decision,” they wrote in an email. “We will continue to be committed to being the employer of choice in Howard County, offering industry-leading pay, benefits, work culture and career growth. We are grateful to our drivers who are critical to providing safe, reliable transportation to students everyday.”

Zūm employees first started talking about unionizing in November 2023. They filed with the National Labor Relations Board seeking a vote on union representation and expressed interest in joining the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1994 Municipal and County Government Employees Organization at the time.

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