CONTACT:
Zoe Bridges-Curry, (202) 822-2127 x122
zbridges@americanrightsatwork.org
Washington, D.C. – In recent years, employees of Durham School Services, the nation’s second-largest private student transportation provider, have sought to form unions in order to gain decent pay and a voice on the job. But like so many workers, Durham employees have faced active resistance from their employer—despite the company’s claim to be a model corporate citizen that respects basic workplace rights.
A new study from American Rights at Work compares the “Workplace Rights Policy” of National Express Group, Durham’s parent company, to internationally-accepted standards for workers’ rights, and finds that the company’s policy falls far short of protecting its employees’ freedom of association and other fundamental rights on the job. On the contrary, the policy selectively includes only the rights that serve the interests of management and provides cover for the company’s aggressive anti-union campaigns.
The report, “Analysis of National Express Group PLC’s Workplace Rights Policy,” is available here.
“We’ve seen it before: Companies that respect their employees’ rights overseas take advantage of our country’s lower standards to trample workers’ rights here in the states,” said Kimberly Freeman Brown, Executive Director of American Rights at Work. “But in this upside down economy, it’s more important than ever that Americans can join together on the job for a fair shake. Paying lip service to international workers’ rights standards is inexcusable —it’s time for Durham School Services to walk the walk.”
Durham School Services is the U.S. division of National Express Group, a large, multinational transportation conglomerate based in the United Kingdom. With a fleet of over 13,000 buses, Durham currently holds contracts with 350 school districts located in 30 states.
