LIBERTY TOWNSHIP, Ohio — Students who attend schools within the Lakota Local School District were unable to board a yellow school bus Friday after drivers decided to strike amid contract disputes with bus provider Petermann Transportation.
The union representing Petermann bus drivers in the area, Teamsters Local 100, met Thursday night to review and vote on the company's final contract offer. Bill Davis, president of Teamsters Local 100, said 94% of union members in attendance voted to reject the offer, immediately triggering the strike.
Drivers started picketing the bus terminal on Yankee Road Friday morning around 5:30 a.m.
The team will be picketing the bus terminal on Yankee Rd. tomorrow morning beginning around 5:30 am. pic.twitter.com/usiHyKPMZT
— Sean DeLancey (@SeanDeLanceyTV) August 31, 2023
Interim Superintendent Dr. Elizabeth Lolli said in a message to parents that Lakota Local Schools will not be able to offer any transportation for students in grades K-9 including:
- All special education students, including preschool;
- Before- and after-school childcare transportation provided by Petermann;
- After-school activities, including athletics;
- Students who travel between schools for classes and after-school activities; and
- Parochial and private school students who utilize Lakota Transportation.
Betsy Fuller, spokesperson for Lakota schools, said on Friday that football game travel was taken care of.
"Our athletic directors have arranged for substitute drivers through Petermann to take the football teams to their games tonight. The band does not travel to away games. My understanding is that this is the only athletic event this weekend that requires busing. At the district level, we are working with Petermann to determine how many drivers and substitutes are willing to work in spite of the strike and will communicate with parents as soon as possible. Finding enough drivers for 10,000 students is a much more difficult task than finding a few for the football teams, but we are working diligently on this. We appreciate our families' patience, understanding and cooperation during this challenging ordeal."
Lakota said during the strike, students will not be marked tardy or absent if they cannot find transportation to school.
"As we gain a better understanding from Petermann on how many drivers will continue to work in spite of this strike, please know that we will prioritize transportation for our preschool through high school students with disabilities," the message to parents said. "We will also continue to work toward alternative solutions for students who travel between schools during the day for classes."
Petermann Transportation said in an email that they were "disappointed," but remained "committed to engaging in constructive negotiations and presenting a compelling employment package in good faith." Their statement said in part:
"This package featured an attractive hourly rate, potentially among the highest in Southwest Ohio, with a starting rate of $25.84 per hour and comprehensive health care coverage, amongst other benefits. We greatly value all our team members' work and felt the offer that we presented was generous.
"It seems that the offer is being declined due to a clause in the Collective Bargaining Agreement concerning the monitoring of driver speed and behavior during vehicle operation. It's worth noting that this practice is widespread across North America and is fundamentally tied to our unwavering commitment to safety. ... We will continue to push these principles in our continued dealings with the Union to settle this labor contract. To that end, our discussions with Union representatives will persist throughout tomorrow and over the weekend."
Davis said the union's members don't want to strike, but they're also not happy with the contract language proposed by Petermann.
Specifically, Davis said the drivers take issue with new provisions within the contract that would allow drivers' supervisors to virtually monitor them at any time; Previously, the typical contract language allowed surveillance in the event of a complaint made, or any indication of reckless driving, Davis said.
"We're all human," Davis said. "None of us are perfect. Would you want constant video supervision at your job? A rogue supervisor who did not like you could make your job much harder, or even get you terminated."
Davis said he didn't believe there is any indication drivers have performed their jobs so poorly as to need constant virtual supervision.
The union plans to be on strike until Petermann comes to the table with a new contract.
Read the district's full response to the strike here.
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