Seattle School Bus Strike: No Yellow Buses On Wednesday

SEATTLE, WA - Seattle will endure a one-day school bus driver strike on Wednesday as Teamsters Local 174 and bus provider First Student hash out a labor dispute. The Local 174 announced the strike Tuesday to "mitigate any hardship faced by Seattle parents."

Approximately 400 school bus drivers will participate in the strike, according to the union, which will affect bus service to every public school. A press release from the union described the reason behind the strike:

First Student and the Teamsters have been in negotiations over healthcare and retirement security since July of this year, but to date, First Student has shown little effort to reach a deal with its employees. The vast majority of school bus drivers do not have any healthcare through their employer, and none of the drivers have an adequate retirement plan. As part of a contract deal reached with the Teamsters last year, a decision was made to delay discussion of healthcare and retirement benefits for one year. The intervening year was meant to allow First Student an opportunity to settle its new contract with the Seattle School District and lobby for additional funds to cover healthcare and retirement benefits for drivers. First Student did not hold up their end of the deal.

No Seattle public schools will close Wednesday, and student absences due to the strike will not be excused. The district released a FAQ Tuesday for parents.

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