New York – New York City’s school bus strike enters its third day Friday.
Subscribe to our Daily Roundup Email
It pits the city’s need to rein in spiraling costs against the bus drivers’ goal of preserving their jobs.
The city contracts with private bus companies. It says the city must seek competitive bids to save money. But Local 1181 of the Amalgamated Transit Union wants the new contracts to include job protections for current drivers.
Just 152,000 of New York City’s 1.1 million public schoolchildren ride yellow school buses. But the cost of busing students has risen from $100 million in 1979 to $1.1 billion now.
Some buses were running Thursday because their drivers are not members of Local 1181. The city Department of Education said 2,320 bus routes out of 7,700 were operating.
My neighbor has 2 children with special needs. She has a real headache getting one to Flatbush & one to Cedarhurst at the same time. It really is a problem & I sympathize with both the workers & the families. Hope they can figure it all out soon, but with Mad Maniacal Mayor Mike, I have my doubts it will be resolved any time soon.
To monalisa:
The unions demands were deemed illegal by the NY state court of appeals. That is, that the state offer the bus drivers guarantees their jobs will be preserved after the bidding for the bus contract -illegal. The city/state CANNOT, by law, offer a bid and guarantee a salary or position if it is a true and impartial ‘good faith’ auction of the contract.
Second, many of the bus drivers already have pensions from their previous employment. Some are retired police, firefighter, sanitation workers, etc who already have full pensions and are now working as bus drivers intending to receive another pension and have the union extort money and benefits from the city, and you and me taxpayer.
Lastly, this week School Chancellor Walcott was interviewed regarding the impending strike, he said it costs the city $6-7000 dollars PER STUDENT, to bus kids to school in NYC that is double of what they are paying in LA or Chicago!!
–What ?!
If you gave parents HALF that money, they can Limo their kids to school everyday without union dues or pensions or associated costs. The union is bloated, the city is bloated, and the school system is bloated…
while it may “inconvenience” some parents, the City is correct in standing up to these union demands. Hopefully, it will be resolved within the next few weeks but if not, they should simply move forward quickly and get new contractors on board and cancel these contracts.
continued,
I’m no fan of Mr. Bloomberg
West side stadium debacle, congestion pricing, the banning of trans fat, the soda tax, his interference with circumcision, his gun grab. Cathie black fiasco, his accusing of the Tea party for the time square plot, gasoline shortage…and the list goes on.
I think all of the above were bad public policy. But in this instance he is right. The union is demanding something illegal and unreasonable. Furthermore, as I stated above, the fact the city has so recklessly spent money on transportation, when that money could have been used to give parents (transportation) vouchers or reduce property taxes is unconscionable.
The Mayor should be commended for standing up to the unions, whose time has passed. Unions should also keep a low profile. It’s because of them that NYC lost a possible 250 million dollars in federal money because the teacher’s union contested an evaluation process.
The Mayor is not perfect, but he is not always wrong
I’m going nuts rearranging work schedule and running a house while doing carpool several times daily. However I still support the Mayor in his position. Additionally, those of you whining about the Mayor’s other endeavors in his capacity should just shut up while contemplating the next round of unqualified inept candidates coming up in their run for Mayor.
I’m no conspiracy nut—but isn’t it strange there’s virtually no mention of this strike online? You can yahoo & google, and the most you get is a mention of it from last week, no details, no updates. You’d think it would be news.