Politics & Government

District Two Bus Drivers Unionize

Close vote Friday sways in favor of unionization.

Dorchester County School District Two's recently privatized bus fleet will now have a union representing its bus drivers.

The district's bus drivers voted Friday, narrowly voting for unionization with Teamsters 509. The vote was 85 for and 66 against, according to union President L.D. Fletcher. 

"It was closer than we thought," Fletcher told Patch. 

Find out what's happening in Summervillefor free with the latest updates from Patch.

. 

Fletcher said the margin narrowed as Durham School Services drove a hard anti-union campaign.

Find out what's happening in Summervillefor free with the latest updates from Patch.

The results of the election must be certified by the labor board, and after that, Fletcher said the union will begin negotiating with the company. 

South Carolina has three privatized school bus systems. Now all three have employees represented by Teamsters 509. 

Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

More from Summerville