Lawrence.com

Phil has been getting at me for some time to actually update this thing. I had hoped to have a lengthy article or two written about the protests at the political conventions by now, before such writings seem irrelevant. However, reality has made that writing seem impossible, at least until today. Now, I may have plenty of time to write more, as I've found myself in the growing ranks of unemployed workers in today's crumbling economy. Here's a statement to the [International Brotherhood of Teamsters][1] that I wrote about my suspension in consideration of termination from First Student, Inc., where your local anarchist protagonist has driven school buses for the past three and a half years...On Tuesday September 23rd, I, David Strano, an employee with the Lawrence (KANSAS) branch of First Student, Inc., received a phone call from my branch manager and supervisor, Wayne Zachary. Mr. Zachary told me that I needed to immediately speak with him regarding a fax he had received from the "central office" of First Student, Inc. I communicated to him that I could not meet with him that afternoon, but that I could meet with him immediately following my morning shift on Wednesday September 24th, at First Student, Inc. I was instructed by Mr. Zachary that I could not work my morning shift on Wednesday, and that I instead would need to meet him at 9am.I met with Mr. Zachary and the branch safety manager, Barbara VanCortlandt, this morning, Wednesday September 24, 2008. During the meeting, Mr. Zachary showed me a piece of paper that had been faxed to him by the "central office" of First Student, Inc. The paper listed three criminal misdemeanor charges that I had been convicted of in 2001, 2002, and 2006. He told me that he had been instructed to inform me that his supervisors had informed him that I was to be put on immediate suspension without pay, pending a decision about termination from the company due to these convictions.I have disclosed these convictions to the company twice on applications for employment. I first applied to First Student, Inc, when it was Laidlaw in December of 2004, and disclosed my entire criminal history. A criminal background check was done by the company at that time, and it was determined I still qualified for the position I had applied for as a driver for the company. I have been officially employed by the company since January of 2005, and have been a driver since that time.Again, when Laidlaw was purchased by First Group in 2007, I was asked to fill out a new application with the company and, when I did so, I disclosed my criminal background. These convictions have never been a secret to the company, and definitely never been a secret to Mr. Zachary or Ms. VanCortlandt, as they were even the butt of jokes throughout the years in the local branch. It's widely known that I have a criminal history by my coworkers.My criminal history is comprised of minor misdemeanor charges, all stemming from civil disobedience at political protests since 2000. None of my convictions ever resulted in me having to serve any jail or prison sentence, and none were for a violent offense. I was assured when I was hired that the only convictions that could affect my employment were convictions for drugs, violence, violence against children, sexual misconduct, or other such offenses. My criminal record contains no convictions that in any way resemble these types of offenses. The three convictions that appeared on the fax that I am now facing termination over are:-1 count of misdemeanor criminal damage to property from 2001 that resulted from a political protest against the Gap, Inc, for their use of child/sweatshop labor to produce clothes. The outcome of this conviction was a small fine. - 1 count of misdemeanor disorderly conduct, that honestly I don't remember the details because I have been convicted of disorderly conduct on at least 5 occasions for political protests... but all have been for "being too loud or disruptive at protests". Again, I have only ever been sentenced to minor fines and probation. -1 count of misdemeanor criminal trespass from 2006, stemming from a political protest against the War in Iraq at a military recruitment center in Lawrence, Kansas. A group of us occupied the recruitment center in an act of non-violent civil disobedience and were later arrested for not complying with an officers orders to leave the building. I received a fine and community service for this conviction.These were all convictions that have been repeatedly disclosed to the company, along with others (as this is not my complete criminal background), and that were never a secret to any of my supervisors. In fact, the arrest in 2006 was publicized in the newspaper in Lawrence, and my supervisors commented on this fact when I came back to work for the 2006-2007 school year.I don't wish to make idle speculation about the nature of my suspension, but I do find it interesting and somewhat telling, that though I've been employed at the company since 2005 (I did leave the company for 6 months in Feb. of 2007, and became re-employed in August of 2007) and both Laidlaw and First Student, Inc. were notified repeatedly of my convictions, that I am being suspended with threat of termination during the week of the Teamsters Union election that is scheduled at the Lawrence branch on September 26, 2008. I have been an active member of the local Teamsters Organizing Committee and an outspoken advocate for the union since July.During my meeting with Mr. Zachary and Ms. VanCortlandt, I asked repeatedly to see any company policy, memo, or rule that I had violated for having several misdemeanor convictions on my criminal background. They could show me none. I also asked for clarification of why I was being suspended, and they only said that it was a decision from "higher up" but that it had to do with the new application I had filled out for the job and my convictions. This application was filed with the company nearly a year ago and fully disclosed my entire criminal background.I am currently suspended without pay, and I have been notified that a decision regarding the status of my employment will be mailed to me. In the meantime, I will be contacting the regional human resources office in Kansas City for First Student, Inc, to appeal this decision. ------ POSTSCRIPT: No matter what your stance on my politics or what I've been convicted of, the fact that this hasn't been an issue until the week of our union election should at least make you think about what's going on at First Student. Also, just for the record, yes, I have plenty of critiques of the Teamsters, but they've been pushing a pretty successful campaign against First Student thus far, and really improving the workplace reality of the company's employees across the country. That to me is definitely worth throwing my hat in the ring for.I guess with so much more time on my hands, I'll have to dust off the blog and come out writing... [1]: http://www.teamster.org