“As of right now, as of Monday, the Districts for Framingham, Westborough, and Marlborough will be on strike,” Teamsters Union Local 170 Business Agent Jim Marks said Friday.
A dire warning from Teamsters Union Local 170, that school bus services in three MetroWest communities could be halted Monday because contract negotiations between the school bus drivers and the NRT Bus company have collapsed.
At a Friday news conference, the Teamsters said NRT walked away from the bargaining table Thursday night.
“The NRT decided to pull all their proposals off the table and not bargain for the rest of the day,” said Marks.
“It’s a little tense, especially with what happened today, we’ve been working so hard for the past week and a half or so, then all of a sudden they decided to pick up their stuff and go away,” said School Bus Driver Carol Willoughby, who also is a member of the union’s bargaining committee.
But in a statement, NRT said it was the union that stepped away.
“We are extremely saddened that Teamsters Local 170 appears to be moving forward with a strike, particularly given the impact their decision will have on the students and families who rely on our drivers for transportation to and from school,” NRT Bus said in a statement.
The union says at the heart of the issue is wages, that NRT is offering to increase the hourly rate of bus drivers to 34 dollars, but it also moving to cut weekly hours.
If there is a school bus strike, The communities of Framingham, Westboro, and Marlborough are expected to keep schools open next week, and they are working on contingency plans.
Still parents and students might face some tough choices.
I spoke to Middle Schooler Emaule Velaca with permission from her mother.
“My mum is going to bring me (to school) because she don’t work Monday. But the other days she can’t bring me,” she said.
“What do you think you’ll do on those other days if there is a strike?” Boston 25′s Bob Ward asked.
“Stay at home, or go to the babysitter,” Velaca said.
“No school?” I asked
“Yeah,” she said.
So, for now, there is no agreement on a school bus contract in these three communities. And if nothing changes, the union says it’ll be on strike.
The hope is, negotiations will continue over the weekend, and it won’t come to that.
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