To my fellow drivers:


I've been employed as a driver for RTC for seven years on the Rochester-Pittsburgh run. During that time I have maintained a work record with no verbal or written disciplinary actions or suspensions. Tom Kelly shares this run and also has had a clean record of service.

As we know RTC has opposed to a union and in the past has fired drivers due to their union involvement. I joined the APWU negotiating team and have been negotiating with RTC representatives for a year to achieve a union agreement.

On February 13th I (and Tom Kelly) was called by RTC with the verbal explanation that I had "stolen time from the company and was falsifying my logbook". Also the day before an RTC representative met Tom Kelly at the Post Office for an unannounced drug test taken in a public bathroom, clearly an attempt o harass Tom and find something on him.

I have never stolen anything form this company. I have logged the way the company asked me to. When trips continuously run over we have been told by RTC to turn in paper work for exception time. This extra time has been paid to drivers by RTC. If RTC wanted a change in the way we were logging for years, they had an option to simply notify drivers to change their past practice. RTC is manipulating their own policies to charge me with falsifying and stealing.

Our experience demonstrates why a union to represent the interest of the drivers is so essential. We need a union contract to standardize policies, protect our rights and ensure that interpretation of policies cannot be manipulated to serve the interest of the owners.

This is not the first time RTC has sought to slow down the negotiation process by trying to intimidate drivers. I assure you this action does not intimidate us and we are committed as ever to our Union. I also know the APWU is doing everything in their power to reverse this unjust action.

We have been growing stronger month by month. Now over three quarters of the drivers have joined the Union. With 100% membership we will be in an even stronger position to maintain the fair practices for all our drivers.

Together we stand, Divided we fall!

Proud member of the APWU



Larry Marangoni