New York school bus strike to strand 152,000 kids
By Agence France-Presse
Monday, January 14, 2013 19:45 EST
Drivers of New York’s yellow school buses planned to go on strike Wednesday, leaving 152,000 children looking for a new way to get to class on time.
The drivers’ union announced the strike Monday after failing to come to an agreement with the city over job security. The strike will also include staff known as matrons who oversee the children as they get on and off buses.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg called the strike “regrettable” and said the union was “abandoning” the tens of thousands of students and their families who rely on school buses on a daily basis.
The city announced a series of measures aimed at alleviating the hassle for parents. Subway tickets will be given free of charge to students and parents using cars or taxis for the school run will be reimbursed.
Michael Cordiello, president of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1181, said there was only a last sliver of hope that his 8,800 members would call off the action.
“While we remain optimistic that we can reach an agreement, we are here today to announce that local 1181 will strike effective Wednesday morning,” he told a press conference.
“The mayor can end the strike. The mayor can come and talk to us and end the strike.”
Bloomberg said the bus drivers and matrons were refusing to allow competition for their services, which he said cost $1.1 billion a year, or more than 10 times what the city paid in 1979.
Bloomberg said the $6,900 price tag per child was “far more than any other school system in our country.” He noted that Los Angeles only pays $3,100 per student.
The city had decided to open new contracts for 1,100 bus routes set to expire this year to outside bidders.
“Unfortunately, the school bus drivers’ union is demanding that the bids include job protections the city is not legally allowed to provide,” Bloomberg said.
Cordiello said his union members were only interested in maintaining a high quality service with experienced drivers and matrons, something he said would suffer if new workers were hired.
“We would be striking for the safety of the children,” he said. “Experience: that’s something that cannot be replaced.”
Cordiello also denied that union members were insensitive to the city’s budget woes, saying that starting salaries for drivers were $14 an hour and for matrons $11 an hour — “hardly a living wage” in America’s biggest city.
Chancellor Walcott Announces New Measures to Help Families in Event of Yellow Bus Strike
01/13/2013
NYPD to DeployMore Transit Officers, School Safety Officers and Crossing Guards
Chancellor Dennis M. Walcott today announced new measures New York City will take in the event of a yellow bus strike, including the deployment of additional transit officers, school safety officers and crossing guards. The New York City Police Department will add more transit officers and more crossing guards to help manage the anticipated increase in the number of students using public transportation and walking to school. Additional school safety officers will also be deployed to public schools. The Taxi and Limousine Commission will issue an alert to all licensees to anticipate increased demand and have the maximum number of cars available. Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Chancellor Walcott have previously outlined the steps the City would take in the event of a strike. School offices will distribute MetroCards to students who use yellow bus service, and reimbursements will be available for families who must drive or use a car service. A system-wide strike would impact the morning and afternoon commute of more than 152,000 students, 54,000 of whom have disabilities and require special transportation services.
“Though the City cannot legally do what the bus drivers’ union wants, they are threatening a strike that would impact our students and families,” said Chancellor Walcott. “The City is prepared to provide those who use yellow bus service with the support they need, and put other resources to use if a strike is called. Our goal is to make sure students get to school, and to pursue contracts that are safe and more reasonably priced, so that we can direct those savings in the classroom where they belong.”
Last month, the City released competitive bids for school-age yellow bus contracts, most of which have not been bid out in 33 years. Since then, the cost of bus service has skyrocketed to $1.1 billion each year, an average of $6,900 per bused student, making it the most expensive in the country. The request for new bids covers contracts for approximately 1,100 routes, which serve 22,500 students in kindergarten through 12th grade who have disabilities and require special transportation. The DOE previously released bids for pre-kindergarten bus contracts, which resulted in a savings of $95 million over five years, and hopes that a re-bid of its remaining contracts will produce additional savings to be spent in classrooms.
The work being bid out is currently covered by contracts that are set to expire on June 30, 2013. In total, the DOE has contracts for 7,700 total bus routes that serve 152,000 students – all of which would be impacted by a system-wide strike.
One of the bus drivers’ unions – Local 1181 of the Amalgamated Transit Union – has threatened to strike because the contract bid specifications did not include job guarantees for certain current drivers, but the New York State Court of Appeals ruled that such a guarantee, known as the Employee Protection Provision, could not be included under the circumstances of the bids when we bid the pre-kindergarten routes last year. The circumstances for the bids released last month are essentially the same and the City cannot include the provision that the union has demanded. The bids still include the exact same safety provisions and require that all bus drivers are certified and have completed the mandatory trainings.
“Though the City cannot legally do what the bus drivers’ union wants, they are threatening a strike that would impact our students and families,” said Chancellor Walcott. “The City is prepared to provide those who use yellow bus service with the support they need, and put other resources to use if a strike is called. Our goal is to make sure students get to school, and to pursue contracts that are safe and more reasonably priced, so that we can direct those savings in the classroom where they belong.”
Last month, the City released competitive bids for school-age yellow bus contracts, most of which have not been bid out in 33 years. Since then, the cost of bus service has skyrocketed to $1.1 billion each year, an average of $6,900 per bused student, making it the most expensive in the country. The request for new bids covers contracts for approximately 1,100 routes, which serve 22,500 students in kindergarten through 12th grade who have disabilities and require special transportation. The DOE previously released bids for pre-kindergarten bus contracts, which resulted in a savings of $95 million over five years, and hopes that a re-bid of its remaining contracts will produce additional savings to be spent in classrooms.
The work being bid out is currently covered by contracts that are set to expire on June 30, 2013. In total, the DOE has contracts for 7,700 total bus routes that serve 152,000 students – all of which would be impacted by a system-wide strike.
One of the bus drivers’ unions – Local 1181 of the Amalgamated Transit Union – has threatened to strike because the contract bid specifications did not include job guarantees for certain current drivers, but the New York State Court of Appeals ruled that such a guarantee, known as the Employee Protection Provision, could not be included under the circumstances of the bids when we bid the pre-kindergarten routes last year. The circumstances for the bids released last month are essentially the same and the City cannot include the provision that the union has demanded. The bids still include the exact same safety provisions and require that all bus drivers are certified and have completed the mandatory trainings.
The following resources are available to families of students who currently receive yellow bus service:
- All students who currently receive yellow bus service may receive a MetroCard. MetroCards should be requested through the school’s general office. The DOE has informed the Metropolitan Transit Authority that it may need to accommodate additional riders.
- Parents of pre-school and school-age children with Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) and require transportation from their home directly to their school, as well as parents of general education children in grades K-2, may also request a MetroCard to escort their children to school.
- Parents of children who receive busing from their home or are in K-6 and do not live in areas where public transportation between home and school is available, may request reimbursement for transportation costs. Parents who drive their children to school will be reimbursed at a rate of 55 cents per mile. Parents who use a taxi or car service to transport their child to school will be reimbursed for the trip upon completion of reimbursement forms that includes a receipt for provided services. Requests for reimbursements should be made weekly on forms that will be available on the DOE web site, www.schools.nyc.gov , and in schools’ general offices. Families who plan to drive or use a car service to carpool are encouraged to carpool with their neighbors whenever possible.
- In the unfortunate event that students cannot get to school, the Department will be posting materials online for every grade and core subject so that students can continue their learning at home during the strike.
No comments:
Post a Comment