School bus drivers serving Seattle Public Schools and represented by the Seattle chapter of the Teamsters Union, Teamsters 147, were authorized to go on strike on March 29th. The drivers, employed by First Student, a provider of school bus services, are contracted by the school district and comprise about 3,750, or half of the district’s transportation services. Bargaining over a new contract between First Student and the Teamsters Union has been ongoing since the start of the year. Bus drivers have abstained from going on strike since April 1st despite the failure of Teamsters 147, First Student, and Seattle Schools to negotiate a new contract. 

The Teamsters, or the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, is one of the largest labor unions in both the United States and Canada. Primarily focused on warehouse workers and freight drivers, they represent laborers among both the private and public sector.

House Bill (HB) 1248 is a state law passed in 2024 that ensures that school bus drivers contracted for work through private companies, like First Student, receive the same benefits for bus drivers employed directly by the school district. HB 1248 was majorly supported by the Teamsters in the wake of the last bus driver strike in 2018, but the bill’s implementation hasn’t been completed. While both First Student and the Teamsters claim to be bargaining in good faith, the Teamsters claimed to have authorized a strike to force First Student back to the bargaining table that the Teamsters claim they were resisting.

While a strike is currently looming, new information has yet to come out for weeks. The threat of a strike is worrying across the city, as it would force thousands of parents, out of their own expense, to organize their children’s transportation.

Other contracted transportation providers such as Zum, Hop, Skip, and Ride also have a history of going on strike, but will remain unaffected in this case.