School bus salary new york drivers#
School bus salary new york driver#

Since then some bus companies have voted to authorize strikes, including in 20, but ultimately reached agreements before taking any labor actions.

School bus salary new york drivers#

Roughly 8,000 drivers walked off the job for a month, according to reports. New York City’s school bus drivers last went on strike in January 2013 over job protection issues, pushing for senior drivers to get priority over newcomers. The city contracts with more than 50 bus companies who crisscross the city on about 9,000 routes. It’s not clear how many routes a strike would affect. “The city encourages the parties to remain at the bargaining table until they reach a voluntary agreement.” “These negotiations are unlike most involving the city because they are between bus companies, who contract with the DOE, and their employees, who are not city employees,” Styer added. But those services typically require that caregivers accompany their children to and from school, which can be hard for working parents. And it would come just as schools are regaining their footing after years of pandemic-related disruptions.īanks said parents would have “clear direction” on alternative transportation options in the event of a strike.Įducation department spokesperson Nathaniel Styer said the city’s contingency plans include giving students MetroCards and “reimbursement for use of alternative transportation.” In some cases, he said, it could include “free ride-share.”Ĭity officials have previously used ride-share services to help fill transportation gaps at no cost to families. More recently, parents reported that buses without air conditioning topped 100 degrees.Ī bus strike would represent a disruption far beyond the glitches that parents often experience during the opening weeks of a typical school year. The school bus system especially falters at the beginning of the year, and families routinely complain of late or no-show buses, which contribute to chronic absenteeism as working families may struggle to make other transportation arrangements. The city’s yellow buses have often been the source of angst among families. “A fair contract for all senior and new members is the answer to making school bus a career again.”

“The Union is fighting to get back what members previously had and everything they lost,” officials wrote in the newsletter. A recent union newsletter indicated that workers at a handful of school bus companies that contract with the city overwhelmingly voted to authorize a strike. Banks said a strike could affect between 85,000 and 150,000 students.Ĭarolyn Rinaldi, the chief of staff for Local 1181 of the Amalgamated Transit Union, which represents many school bus drivers, said the union had no comment. “You’ll hear more in the coming days.”Ī school bus strike would disproportionately affect the city’s youngest students as well as students with disabilities. “Certainly hopeful that we can avoid it, but just wanted to start to plant a seed to let people know about the possibility,” he added. “We’re currently negotiating with the around buses and there’s some real concerns around a potential bus strike,” Banks told members of his parent advisory council on Thursday.

School bus salary new york driver#

Sign up for Chalkbeat New York’s free daily newsletter to keep up with NYC’s public schools.Ī school bus driver strike could disrupt the beginning of the school year, Chancellor David Banks warned parent leaders this week. New York City is facing a possible school bus strike less than a month before the school year starts.