King County Paratransit Workers at Alesig Demand Union Recognition

Workers at MV Transportation Subcontractor Call on Employer to Recognize Teamsters 117

A group of thirty-one paratransit workers at Alesig, a subcontractor of MV Transportation, are seeking to become members of Teamsters 117. On Monday, workers declared majority status in favor of Local 117 acting as their exclusive bargaining representative, and they called on their employer to recognize the Union. Alesig has not responded to the workers' demand.

The Alesig employees cited the need for better healthcare, equitable wages, and basic respect on the job as reasons for becoming Teamsters.

“We’re being forced to pay top-dollar premiums for a 'limited-option' health plan that feels more like a liability than a benefit,” said James Lee, an Alesig dispatcher. “I’m tired of the administrative delays that leave us without coverage when we actually need it.”

Workers were also driven to organize by a toxic work environment in which managers ignore the concerns of frontline workers and routinely yell at them while they are on the phone dispatching drivers or scheduling rides with customers.

“Management has become a barrier to providing the high-quality ADA services our cities deserve,” said Carl “Borbs” Jorge, an Alesig reservationist. “By focusing on the wrong metrics and suppressing worker feedback, they have created an environment that is both inefficient and demoralizing.”

Alesig workers provide dispatch services and rider reservation support to elderly and disabled passengers across King County. If recognized, they would join 330 unionized drivers, schedulers, and transit instructors at MV Transportation who currently perform paratransit services in the County.

Paul Dascher, Secretary-Treasurer of Teamsters Local 117, said the Union would strive to bring a strong first contract to the group with fair wages and benefits and work to rectify the unfair compensation gap between the workers at MV Transportation and Alesig.

“Workers at Alesig sit side-by-side our members at MV Transportation performing similar work, yet they are compensated at a much lower rate. We will address this disparity in negotiations and make sure they are respected,” Dascher said. “Workers at both companies support some of the most vulnerable residents in our communities. They deserve to be treated fairly.”