Press Release: Teamsters Union Agrees to Provide 48 Hours Notice

Superintendent Earl Metzler is pleased to announce that on November 21, 2016, the Timberlane Regional and Hampstead School Districts and the Teamsters Local 633 Union representing the bus drivers who work for First Student, Inc. have reached an Agreement in which the Teamsters have agreed to provide the School Districts with at least a 48 hours notice in the event of a strike or work stoppage.

The Settlement Agreement comes just days after the School Districts filed a petition for a temporary restraining order, preliminary injunction, and permanent injunction in Rockingham Superior Court to protect the students in the surrounding towns in the event of a strike. While we remained deeply concerned that an extended strike would have a tremendous impact on the education of the students in the School Districts, our main and overriding goal in filing this lawsuit was to prevent any situation in which students would be harmed or put in an unsafe situation. Thankfully, the Teamsters Local 633 shared the same concerns regarding student safety and were willing to enter into this Agreement to provide at least 48 hours notice. Now, every student and family in the Timberlane and Hampstead School Districts, and the community as a whole, including law enforcement and public safety, will have ample time to prepare for a strike and take the necessary steps to continue to educate our students and keep them safe.

Dr. Metzler would like to thank the Timberlane and Hampstead School Boards for supporting this process on behalf of their students as well as the many students in school districts throughout the state. He joins all of the students and families in this state in hoping for a speedy and successful negotiations between Teamsters Local 633 and First Student.

Dr. Earl Metzler

Superintendent of Schools

November 21, 2016