Support
anti-war,
anti-racist
news

:: Donate now ::

Email this article 

Printable page

Email the editor

San Francisco

School bus drivers threaten strike, win good contract

By Shane Hoff

Member, United Transportation Union Local 1741


San Francisco

At the 11th hour of negations before a strike was set to start Dec. 1, San Francisco school-bus drivers were victorious in their battle for increased wages and guaranteed work hours.

The 250 drivers, support staff and yard workers, represented by United Transportation Union Local 1741, held steadfast against Laidlaw Transit. The Canadian-based multinational corporation, which operates 39,000 buses in more than 1,100 school districts in the United States and Canada, had opposed guaranteeing drivers both a 35-hour work week and a cost-of-living wage increase.

The 35-hour week became the major sticking point in contract negotiations. It led to a strike-authorization vote of 220 to 13.

Ultimately, the drivers won an unprecedented 35-hour guaranteed work week for 120 routes and cost-of-living increases that will raise salaries from $19.10 to $23 per hour over the next five years. Office staff will also receive pay increases of as much as 33 percent.

Since their last contract was signed five years ago, work hours had plummeted from 60 percent of drivers working full-time eight-hour days to 80 percent working part-time six-hour days. The reduction was due to a change in the scheduling of kindergarten classes. It had a devastating affect on the membership.

Struggling with a reduced paycheck, some drivers were evicted from their homes. Others had to return cars when they couldn't make monthly payments. Others had to withdraw money from their 401(k) retirement plans.

During six months of negotiations, drivers testified directly to company officials about the impact of the reduced hours and income. But Laidlaw bosses remained unmoved.

The union victory also demonstrated solidarity between the drivers and staff. From the beginning of negotiations, drivers said they would walk out for the staff, some of whom were paid as low as $10.63 per hour.

The company initially promised to increase staff pay, hoping to use this as leverage in negotiations with the drivers. The company then offered to guarantee driver hours, but only if they would be available every evening and Saturday and Sunday.

This offer also excluded cost-of-living increases. A second offer from Laidlaw would have provided a cost-of-living increase but no guaranteed hours.

Laidlaw bosses threatened that if the members struck they would take everything off the table, including pay increases for the staff. But the office staff refused to separate their struggle from the drivers', and joined them in a strike vote.

It helped the union that the scheduled strike coincided with a heated mayoral run-off election. Mayor Willie Brown, striving to avoid a disruption in city service, stepped in at the union's request. He pressured Laidlaw to accept the union's demands.

Brown's intervention helped avert the strike, but it was the drivers' willingness to strike that won them a better contract. The union won a victory, not only for San Francisco bus drivers, but for all working people who are struggling to wrench more of what is rightfully theirs from the ruling class.

Copyright © 1999 workers.org