nothin After Surprise Strike, School Bus Drivers… | New Haven Independent

After Surprise Strike, School Bus Drivers Return

Thomas MacMillan Photo

Drivers mass on Middletown Avenue.

School bus drivers returned to work Thursday just in time for the first wave of dismissals, ending an impromptu strike that threatened to leave students stranded at school.

The remarks capped a chaotic day that threw the school system into uncertainty over how the district’s 18,000 students would get home.

Workers called off the strike at 1:30 p.m. after First Student, the national company the Board of Ed hires to run the school buses, agreed to sit down with workers at 6 p.m. Thursday and resume contract negotiations.

The city opened up the emergency operations center at 1:30 p.m. It will remain open until tomorrow morning, pending the outcome of the evening negotiations. Parents can call (203) 946‑8221 for the latest information and in case the situation remains unresolved Friday morning.

Thursday’s strike was a spontaneous, unplanned event prompted by a breakdown in negotiations at a morning meeting at the Wilson Branch of the New Haven Public Library. First Student management negotiation team arrived at the library to find over 150 workers waiting to negotiate with them. Management refused to negotiate with such a large group, drawing the ire of drivers, who immediately marched to Board of Education headquarters on Meadow Street and began a day of protest.

Workers are looking for a pay increase and improvements to benefits. Maureen Richmond, a spokesperson for First Student, said the company has offered a reasonable wage increase, but declined to provide details beyond saying that it is a competitive offer.”

Tomorrow?

At an afternoon press conference, Mayor John Destefano (pictured) said the city is expecting to hold school as usual tomorrow.

There’s is no reason to put our kids in the middle of this,” Destefano said.

The Board of Ed is not choosing sides” in the dispute, said Reggie Mayo, superintendent of schools. Principals are ready for a continued strike, he said.

There is no reason to expect there won’t be school tomorrow,” DeStefano said. We don’t expect a prolonged action.”

Asked if the district has a contingency plan in the event of an ongoing strike, DeStefano declined to speculate about that possibility.

Asked later for details, he responded only, School will be open Friday.”

One principal said she had been told by her superiors to handle it as a snow day” if the strike continues in the morning.

DeStefano said he hopes workers and management will sit down together, take a deep breath,” and remember that we all work for these kids.”

All afternoon school bus pick-ups and drop-offs went off without a hitch, DeStefano said. The wheels are going round and round right now.”

Wildcat Unleashed

No talk, no drive!” the drivers chanted as they marched in front of the Board of Ed building in yellow reflective vests Thursday morning.

This is certainly not planned,” said Kevin Mercik, an organizer for CSEA/SEIU Local 2001, which represents the New Haven drivers.

They next headed to First Student headquarters on Middletown Avenue to set up a picket line. They found that the company had locked the gates to the parking lot.

So they parked along Middletown Avenue — close enough so that tow trucks couldn’t snatch their vehicles.

Bumper to bumper!” workers yelled to co-workers as they parked.

Union representatives huddled behind the gate with First Student manager Britt Liotta shortly after noon. They returned to report to the drivers that the company was willing to sit down again on Tuesday to resume negotiations if the drivers agree to work Thursday afternoon.

No! No! No!” the drivers chanted in response.

Today! Today! Today!”

Driver Edna Morales tried to convince her colleagues to return to work. The Board of Ed will take away First Student’s contract if the drivers don’t work, she warned.

Too bad,” a driver told her. We should block these gates.”

Union reps and management returned to talking on the property.

Around 12:55 p.m., Mercik emerged from talks with news: First Student offered to meet at 6 p.m. Thursday if drivers agree to go back to work immediately. Mercik endorsed the proposal and tried to pitch it to the crowd.

No!” workers shouted. Now!”

Teddi Barra, the New Haven Public Schools coordinator of transportation, arrived on the scene and also tried to sell the idea to the drivers. She said she would personally show up and guarantee that the talks take place.

Amid a chaotic scene of chants and shouting, some bus drivers agreed with the plan. Others didn’t, and continued to demand immediate negotiations.

Driver David Brown said he was ready to take the deal. For today, it’s a success. It’s something to hold onto.”

I think it’s terrible,” Jodi Rodgers said of the proposed 6 p.m. deal. It would intentionally inconvenience all the drivers who have kids to take care of, so we can’t stand together,” she said.

You’re going to burn your bridges,” Mercik (pictured) pleaded with a driver. You won!”

At 1:20 p.m., he returned from behind the fence and jumped up on the side of Assistant Police Chief Luiz Casanova’s silver GMC truck, at the chief’s invitation. He addressed drivers using the truck’s loudspeaker.

Mercik declared the day’s action a victory.” He produced an email from First Student’s lawyer, guaranteeing the company would sit down at 6 p.m. Thursday if workers returned to work.

I know they slapped us in the face this morning, but we just won,” he said. They know that they can’t disrespect us. They know that there are consequences. They know that they have to negotiate with us.”

He urged workers to take the deal and return to work. If the drivers don’t get what they want tonight, they can always strike in the morning, he argued.

Workers continued to push back against the plan, demanding immediate negotiations.

A driver, who would not give her name, followed with an impassioned plea. She said it would be morally wrong” not to pick up the kids this afternoon. The drivers can’t lose the goodwill of the parents in the city, she said.

We are all parents. Are you really going to leave all these children at school?” the woman said through the loudspeaker. It’s morally wrong to leave all these children at school. Get on your buses and go to work. … You cannot lose the public respect that we will if we leave these kids at school. I’m going to work. It’s up to you what you do.”

The plea appeared to work. More and more drivers began to nod and say they would return to work.

By 1:35 p.m., some buses started pulling out of the lot. By 1:45 p.m., all drivers had returned to work, planning to swoop in in time to pick up kids in the first wave of dismissals. Most high schools let out around 2 p.m.; elementary schools end about an hour later.

Everybody knows now. We got their attention,” said driver Leo Nieves. He said the day’s action was a victory. We woke them up. They were sleeping.”

Wages Are Sticking Point

The drivers’ latest three-year contract expired June 30. The contract covers about 325 drivers.

After a public bidding process, aldermen approved a five-year, $74 million contract with First Student in June of 2007.

Management and workers have been negotiating all summer to come to agreement on a new contract, which would be the third in 11 years.

We’re looking for better wages, health insurance, and guaranteed hours,” said Nieves, 47, who drives several routes in New Haven, including for James Hillhouse High School students.

The drivers earn between $13.25 and $18.55 an hour.

Mercik said the union is looking for a 5 percent increase in wages and improvements to health insurance and pensions. He said the drivers are willing to negotiate, but that 1st Student has refused to communicate.

Driver Maria Norton said she couldn’t afford to pay for health insurance for her and her two kids under the plan offered by the company. She said she makes $14.50 an hour; even the bus aides earn more, $14.87, she said.

They offer insurance at an outrageous price,” she said.

Drivers also complained of not having guaranteed hours and not getting 40 hours of work per week. Ben Phillips, communications director for CSEA/SEIU Local 2001, said drivers have complained about 1st Student not performing adequate maintenance on the buses. Union workers at West Hartford’s 1st Student voted Wednesday to authorize a strike, but have not yet done so.

We’ve been negotiating with with the union since July in good faith, focused and committed to reaching an agreement,” said First Student spokeswoman Richmond.

She said the sticking point in negotiations is primarily an issue of wages.”

We’ve offered a competitive offer,” she said. The union has different ideas.”

The compensation and benefits package we have offered to our employees is fair and equitable, especially considering current economic conditions,” she said in a written statement.

Asked about workers complaints about hours, she said, Typically, driving a school bus is a part time job.”

Richmond said the First Student negotiating team had decclined to negotiate Thursday morning, faced with over 150 drivers. Typically in negotiations, each side will bring a committee, she said. You might have six to 10 people in the room, representing the interests of each side. That’s a productive working relationship,” she said. Having nearly 200 people in a room trying to negotiate a three-year contract” is not.

Mercik said contract negotiation meetings should be open to all workers who want to attend.

Buses Roll

Allan Appel Photo

Buses filed in as usual to Metropolitan Business Academy, Cooperative Arts and Humanities High School, and James Hillhouse High School when school closed Thursday afternoon.

Jasmine Ayala, who has been driving for First Student for four years, said, I’m working because I got kids. I’m a single mom.”

Edward Ciareglio was waiting in front of Metropolitan to pick up his grandson, sophomore Americo, to drive him home. He said he does this regularly and had not heard of strike threat. His response: Kids should be walking anyway” to counteract childhood obesity.

Other parents had heard of the strike and showed up to pick up kids who normally take the bus. Melissa Jones was at Metro to pick up her two bus-riding sons, Richard and Jason, 9th and 11th graders. They normally take the bus. She collected them and then headed off to Edgewood, having received a call to pick up her third son from second grade.

Allan Appel, Brandi Fullwood, and Ariela Martin contributed reporting.

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