New London ― Bus drivers and other transportation workers who get students here back and forth to school safely here are now union members.

The 67 bus drivers, monitors and aides who work for First Student voted “overwhelmingly” this month to join Teamsters Local 493, a move that covers them under the First Student National Master Agreement, described by union President Craig Mitchell as “the largest collective bargaining agreement at any private school bus company in the United States.”

The school system contracts with First Student to provide bus service.

The agreement, in place through March 31, 2026, covers non-economic issues, from safety and overtime to seniority lists and uniforms, said Matt McQuaid, spokesman for the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.

“A supplemental bargaining agreement will later be worked out between the workers and First Student that covers wages and benefits,” McQuaid said on Thursday. “The time it takes to finalize those kinds of agreements takes a few months, though the time does vary from union to union.”

Since Local 493 already has a relationship with the bus company, McQuaid said the wage talks should be fairly straightforward.

Mitchell praised the New London employees on their “organizing victory.”

“These workers were motivated and determined to get the strongest possible contract, and that’s why they overwhelmingly voted to join North America’s strongest union,” he said in a news release. “We are grateful these workers sought out Teamster representation and we look forward to getting them the contract they deserve.”

The union represents 36 groups of eastern Connecticut workers, including school bus drivers in Norwich, Montville and Stonington, as well as custodians, clerks and public works employees in the region.

“My co-workers and I are thrilled to work alongside Local 493,” Tiffany Hook, New London School District bus driver and union steward at Local 493, said in a submitted statement. “We are looking forward to our future with the Teamsters and everything they have to offer us.”

New London Superintendent Cynthia Ritchie said the district has a “strong working partnership” with its drivers and does not expect the union vote to have an immediate impact on that relationship.

j.penney@theday.com