No Large Bus Transportation For District's First Day Of School

SHIRLEY-MASTIC, NY — The clock is ticking: School is slated to begin this week in the William Floyd School District but students and families "are caught in the middle" of a labor dispute that will mean no large bus transportation for the first day of school, school officials said.

TWU Local 252 and Acme Bus Corp. "have been unable to come to terms on an agreement to transport students who travel to and from school on large buses. At present, and pending a last-minute deal between the union and the bus company, there will be no large bus transportation for students when school begins on Sept. 5," the district said in a release.

To help ease the burden for families, the district is offering temporary before-and after-school childcare in each of the district’s elementary and middle schools, as well as breakfast and after-school snacks.

"It is the district’s hope that the union and company will be able to work out an agreement for the sake of the students and their families," officials said.

William Floyd School District Superintendent of Schools Kevin Coster sent a new message to parents this week: "By now, we all know that we are in this predicament due to the actions of East End Bus Lines demanding an additional $16.5 million of taxpayer money," he said.

The district, he said, has been in discussions with multiple transportation vendors including Acme/Baumann, Towne Bus and First Student in an effort to be able to provide large bus transportation for students when school opens. Currently, Acme/Baumann has the contract for both the mini-bus and large bus transportation and Acme/Baumann has the equipment that they need in place, as well as the mini-bus drivers.

"Unfortunately, the driver’s union, Local 252, has refused to make large bus drivers available to Acme/Baumann," Coster said. "As a result, and at this moment, there will be no large bus transportation for when school starts next week."

Parents, he said, should begin to make alternate plans for transporting their children to and from school, including carpooling.

Mini-buses will be running and are not expected to be impacted by ongoing issues, the district said.

"It is our hope that Local 252 will be able to come to an agreement with one of these transportation providers for the large bus contract so our students and their families will not have to endure a repeat of the bus strike in 2003," Coster said. "We will continue working to provide a resolution to this and I will provide real-time updates as they become available."

According to a release from the William Floyd School District, the "former transportation provider, East End Bus Lines signed a five-year contract beginning in the 2016 to 2017 school year. The owner twice demanded additional money under threat of cessation of services. As good stewards of the community's resources and because it is against the law, the William Floyd School District emphatically said 'no.'"

Next, according to the release, "on the third occasion in July, 2018, the owner of East End Bus Lines demanded an additional $16.5 million over the remaining three years of the contract — $5.5 million per year — or else he would not fulfill his duties per the contract."

The district then rebid the contract, notified the New York State Comptroller's Office as well as the New York State Education Department about "this unreasonable and unauthorized behavior," the district said.

On Aug. 10 the district awarded the contract to Acme Bus Corp., "the lowest responsible bidder by general municipal law," the district said. But because agreement could not be reached between Acme Bus Corp. and former East End bus drivers on William Floyd routes, transportation for the district's nearly 9,000 students is in jeopardy, with 70 bus drivers needed.

A request for comment from East End Bus Lines was not immediately returned.

Coster, Superintendent of Schools, sent a message to parents and the community, discussing the situation with East End Bus Lines and said there are positions open at Acme; former William Floyd bus drivers could apply and continue working, he said. If those drivers are not in place by the start of the school year, "There will be delays and disruptions."

Wendy Sidman, human resources business partner for Acme/Baumann & Sons Buses, has told Patch since the company was awarded the contract, they have worked "diligently" to get everything in place for the start of the school year.

"We have the buses and have been working on hiring drivers. Currently we are looking for large bus drivers. We welcome the previous drivers that drove the William Floyd routes," she said.

The company, she said, has an agreement with Teamsters Local 1205, who would represent the drivers, stating that if the "large bus drivers drove for William Floyd previously and they start working for us on the first day of school, they will be able to pick their routes within their previous seniority. They will start as non-probationary employees. This will give them a guarantee of weeks as spelled out in our collective bargaining agreement. We are also adding a $600 bonus that they will receive after 12 consecutive weeks of employment," she said.

But the situation has caused protest amongst the bus drivers' union and parents.

Debra Hagen, president, TWU Local 252, spoke out. "It is so very important for our community to understand the plight of the lowest paid employees serving the school district," she said.

In a statement, she said: "Local 252 of the Transport Workers Union is upset and distressed over the disparate treatment that our school bus drivers and driver assistants have been experiencing over the last few weeks.

"The William Floyd School district engaged in a last minute dispute with East End Bus Lines/Floyd Bus and as a result of that action the 267 school bus drivers and driver assistants that have been living in and serving the William Floyd community for decades are being harmed," she said. "The company that was brought in last minute to replace East End Bus Lines/Floyd Bus is not providing same pay and benefits that our drivers and driver assistants just had in June. Despite knowing exactly what drivers and driver assistants were paid for this work in June, the new company is proposing massive pay and benefits cuts to drive the same routes, and the school district is helping them do so."

She added: "In short, because a district with a multimillion dollar budget decided to switch one multimillion dollar company with another multimillion dollar company at a higher cost, 267 local people are being harmed. The replacement company is not even offering positions to all the former William Floyd drivers and driver assistants; instead they are bringing people from outside this community to fill the positions at a reduced wage."

According to Hagan, the pay for school bus drivers and driver assistants is very low. Local people are hired because the low pay doesn't cover the cost of a long commute, she said.

In June, William Floyd school bus drivers were paid around $29,100 for the year; they also had several benefits including 401K contributions, attendance bonuses, and longevity bonus, she said. With the district's new corporate pick that same school bus driver, driving the same route is being offered $22,600,she said.

Driver assistants serving special needs children only were paid $17,000 on average last year two months later they are offered $13,000, she said.

"When faced with the impact of that type of reduction the results are catastrophic for these longtime school district bus drivers and driver assistants," she said. School bus drivers and driver assistants are being forced to carry the burden of making ends meet with far less money to work with, she said.

"We all know grocery bills are not getting any less and utility bills are not going down. Yet the school district expects the bus drivers and driver assistants to just make do. That is wrong and no low income family should receive that kind of treatment from the community," she said. "We would not tolerate this treatment of our teachers of our children in the classroom, we should not tolerate the treatment of those we entrust to get our children to that classroom safely and home safely each and every day."

Parents have raised questions, blasting the district on social media: "Why is the William Floyd School District using our district office, website, and school grounds to advertise employment needs for a private company?" one person wrote. "At the school board meeting it was stated that the district has nothing to do with the hiring or rates offered by the new bus company . . but they are doing just that. How is it that not a conflict when the district pulled the contract from the former company for asking for more money but awarded it to Acme for more money and now assisting them as well by providing teachers vehicle parking lot to the bus company for bus parking?"

Others were concerned that driver assistants, who care for special needs children, will be hit was a wage reduction; some questioned whether security and background checks for new drivers, entrusted with the safety of students, could be done in time for the new school year.

Another mom pointed out, though, that the district did the same for other bus companies in the past, not just for Acme, and said comments from residents questioning the district's actions did not represent the feelings of all in the community.

And, in fact, some parents say the majority are in support of the district's actions: "We feel for the drivers but Debra Hagan's comments about low income affect us all — so she, in actuality, is saying pay higher taxes for the rest of her union drivers. How does that make any sense; we have the same bills as the drivers do. How about you, Debra Hagan, president of the union, take it up with the new union!" said Patti Connelly. "The majority of the community is actually supporting the BOE's opinions and actions to protect our taxes and money."

Rachel Nicholas, who has three children in the district, said many parents support the district, which she said has also shown similar support for East End Bus Lines in the past when they were hiring. "The district does everything it can to make sure these students have everything they need to have a smooth, effective day," she said.

She said she if the William Floyd School District had made any missteps or done anything not fully according to procedure, "they would not have been allowed to rebid as quickly as they were."

Nicholas said she feels Hagan was engaging in "scare tactics," referencing a lack cameras and GPS systems — slated to be in place by January, due to the short notice given the new bus company —and questioning safety and background checks.

Nicholas said to be approved to get their CDL licenses, drives must have thorough background checks, or they would not be hired.

"I understand the union president has the right to stand up for her workers and the students but she should do it in an ethical way," Nicholas said. "She's doing this as a scare tactic."

Patch photo by Lisa Finn.