Union fails to solidify Ohio contractor’s drivers

School bus drivers and attendants at the Warren, Ohio, location of Community Bus Services, a school bus contractor headquartered in Youngstown, Ohio, have rebuffed organizing efforts by a local union. They voted 54 to 24 against representation by the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 18S. Terry V. Thomas, chief executive of Community Bus Services, said the vote indicated that the Warren employees "share the belief that safe, on-time, quality service is enhanced by a sense of partnership and open communication." He said an earlier attempt to organize union representation of the company’s Youngstown workforce also failed. Thomas, who is a member of SCHOOL BUS FLEET’s Editorial Advisory Board, said the decision will help the company "meet the changing needs of our community with maximum flexibility." Community Bus Services operates 125 school and paratransit buses in northeast Ohio, serving 3,000 special-needs passengers with door-to-door transportation.