"We're very disappointed Teamsters Local 174 leadership chose to disrupt transportation for children to and from Seattle schools tomorrow. We know what a hardship this interruption is to the families who rely on our service.



Last year, we worked with Local 174 leadership on a new collective bargaining agreement. The agreement, which was ratified by union members in August 2016, included a significant wage increase of up to 20 percent, and a top wage of more than $24 an hour.



Within the last two weeks, we offered Local 174 leadership additional funding for both healthcare and retirement. Union leadership chose not to present this offer to their membership.



Both First Student and a federal mediator have reached out to Local 174 leadership in an effort to continue to negotiate in good faith. Those calls have not been returned.



Our responsibility is to transport students to and from school each and every day. We regret that the actions of Local 174 leadership make this impossible tomorrow.



We want to get back to doing what we do best as quickly as possible, and that is providing transportation for Seattle schools and our students and families.



We strongly encourage the union to join us in finding a resolution. We remain ready and available to return to the negotiating table."