School Bus Strike Averted
Wednesday, March 08, 2023
A looming school bus strike by the Teamsters Local 251, when they voted to ratify a new contract with bus company First Student on Tuesday night.
Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee and Providence Mayor Brett Smiley had implored the two sides to reach an agreement, to avoid impacting students and families.
According to First Student spokesperson Frank McMahon, the following contract provisions were on the table prior to the vote:
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTFirst Student has presented a generous offer to Teamsters Local 251 that would pay drivers $35.30 per hour by June 2026 and $37 per hour by June 2027, doubles the 100% company funded contribution into the Teamsters Savings and Investment Plan and increases company coverage of health care costs to 92.5%.
First Student anticipates that this final offer will be received well by the members of Teamsters Local 251 and hopes that they will overwhelmingly vote to ratify a new contract at its 6 PM meeting rather than voting to strike for the second time in four years, which would unfairly and severely impact Providence students, their families and schools that depend on our services.
First Student’s priority has always been to reach an agreement that provides drivers with fair compensation and benefits and guarantees safe and reliable transportation for Providence students. The contract before the union does that.
First Student wants to invest in the retirement security of its drivers, which is why it will never agree to contribute to the critically underfunded and declining New England Teamsters and Trucking Industry Pension Fund that would jeopardize their futures.
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