AM I NEXT? NO LOVE AT FIRST STUDENT

Cincinnati, Ohio-based First Student, a leading provider of school bus transportation to public and private schools, has announced its plans to close its Olympic Hills office in Lake City, Washington, following the loss of contracts with Seattle Public Schools.

The contract loss will affect 111 employees, including 99 bus drivers, 4 technicians, 4 supervisors, 3 dispatchers, and 1 clerk.

According to a company statement, "First Student will permanently discontinue approximately 60% of operations at 8250 5th Ave S, Seattle, WA 98108, and 13525 Lake City Way, Seattle, WA 98125 on August 17, 2026. It is anticipated that 111 employees will be laid off at these locations on that date. The entire facility will not be closed. The office located at 13525 Lake City Way, Seattle, WA, will close, and the remaining employees will operate out of the office located at 8250 5th Ave. S: Seattle, WA. This layoff is expected to be permanent. The layoff will not result in the relocation or contracting out of the Company’s operations or the employees’ positions."

Change is constant, and it's coming. There will always be a tomorrow, no matter how much you may try to ignore it. There are no guarantees in life, nor promises of a bright future. We see good people being laid off through no fault of their own. Just because something terrible hasn't happened yet doesn't mean it won't. It can happen to anyone, at any time, anywhere. No one is guaranteed to wake up tomorrow and still have a job by evening. While many employees can read the writing on the wall, why do most assume it’s targeted at someone else? Are you now wondering, Am I Next?

AM I NEXT? NO LOVE -- LAYOFFS AT FIRST STUDENT (05/08/24)

MAY 8, 2024 — 253 PENNSYLVANIA LAYOFFS

The company has announced the closure of two locations, Greenburg, Pennsylvania, and Allentown, Pennsylvania, and the layoff of 253 employees on June 30, 2024

The closures will impact 80 in Greensburg and 173 workers in Allentown.

The decision was driven by the loss of the Hempfield Area School District and the Allentown School District contracts.

According to a company spokesperson, “First Student has been proud to serve the communities for years, and while disappointed, our goal is to ensure a smooth transition for the districts, and we remain focused on delivering safe transportation through the remainder of the school year. First Student is also committed to assisting our employees through this process. We want to retain as many of them as possible and are helping them find employment at other company locations in the area. Our drivers are the best trained in the industry, and we appreciate the care and dedication they have shown to the families we serve in these communities.”

JUNE 12, 2021 — 228 EMPLOYEES WERE LAID OFF AS THE SAN FRANCISCO BAYVIEW FACILITY CLOSED

The company has announced the closure of its San Francisco Bayview facility which will impact 228 employees, including bus drivers, dispatchers, mechanics, fuelers, and support staff.

It was reported that the closure is related to the San awarding a transportation contract to another vendor.

MAY 15, 2019 — Original Post…

It is a well-known story among employees of contracted service providers. Cincinnati, Ohio-based First Student, a leading provider of school bus transportation to public and private schools, has lost the contract to provide busing services to the Kansas City Public Schools. It will close its Kansas City facility and lay off 293 employees.

In filing a WARN (Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification) Act notification with the State of Missouri, the company noted, “The loss of this contract effectively ends our business interests in the Kansas City, MO., district," the letter states. "As a result of these sudden, unforeseen business circumstances, First Student expects its location to experience a permanent closing.”

Even though First Student’s bid was significantly lower, the school system appears to have awarded its 3-year $45 million contract to Student Transportation of America, partly because of technology that allows parents to track the location of their child’s school bus. First Student is threatening a lawsuit.

Change is coming. There will always be a tomorrow, no matter how much you may try to ignore it. There are no guarantees in life, or promises for a bright future. Just because something bad hasn't happened yet, doesn't mean it won't. It can happen to anyone, anytime, anywhere ... are you now wondering, Am I Next?