Professional Motion Picture Production and Distribution NEWS

Documentary Chronicles the Struggles of School Bus Drivers in Milford
'First Student or First Amendment?' premieres in Concord for state lawmakers

(Concord, New Hampshire)--"First Student or First Amendment?", a new documentary by filmmaker Richard Bensinger premiered to an audience of New Hampshire state lawmakers in Concord today. The documentary exposes the obstacles faced by workers trying to form a union with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME). Milford, New Hampshire school bus drivers employed by First Student, a subsidiary of foreign-owned multinational corporation FirstGroup, (LSE: FGP) have faced ongoing harassment from management, intimidation from law enforcement, and job termination for trying to form a union. The film shows that the National Labor Relations Act fails to provide any meaningful protection for workers' right to organize.

"I'm trying to organize the union for fairness and for the safety of children," says Denise Arsenault, a First Student driver featured in the film. In one incident chronicled in the movie, another employee, Pam Reynolds, is fired for speaking up for a union. Her case goes to the National Labor Relations Board, which fails to act on Pam's complaint.

"This film shows how it feels to be a worker trying to form a union -- the fear, the intense pressure and the courage it takes to stand up for one's rights," said the film's director, Richard Bensinger.

Approximately seventy New Hampshire lawmakers attended the screening. After watching the movie, State Representative Renny Cushing (D-Hampton) said, "I certainly believe in the right for employees to organize, and am outraged at the behavior of the company and police in keeping these workers from organizing."

AFSCME's 1.6 million members provide the vital services that make America happen. With members in hundreds of different occupations -- from nurses to corrections officers, child care providers to sanitation workers -- AFSCME advocates for fairness in the workplace, excellence in public services and prosperity and opportunity for all working families.