DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) — A Butler County school district is experiencing bus drivers on strike.
On Thursday, Aug. 31, Petermann Transportation, the company hired by the district to transport students, did not reach an agreement with bus drivers in contract negotiations. By Friday, Sept. 1, students became unable to take the Lakota transportation, since the drivers officially went on the picket line.
Lakota Schools Interim Superintendent Elizabeth Lolli said in a statement the district is not happy with the decision, but hoping that a resolution will arrive quickly.
“We are extremely disappointed with this outcome and the impact it will have on our students and their families,” said Lolli. “We are hoping for a quick resolution and will update you as soon as we have more information from Petermann. Thank you for your patience, understanding and partnership as we work together to make the best of this unfortunate situation.”
Drivers are represented by Teamsters Local 100, based out of Cincinnati, which accuses the transportation company in a social media post to not fully negotiating. A total of 94 percent of Petermann bus drivers voted to strike after not agreeing to a contract.
““Petermann has put themselves on strike…. Petermann walked away from negotiations when they dropped their “Last, Best, and Final Offer,” said Bill Davis, president, Teamsters Local 100.
2 NEWS reached out to Petermann Bus for comment. You can read the full statement below.
We (Petermann) can confirm that our Teamster team members have made the decision to initiate a strike beginning last evening. While we are disappointed by this choice, we remain committed to engaging in constructive negotiations and presenting a compelling employment package in good faith. This package featured an attractive hourly rate, potentially among the highest in Southwest Ohio, with a starting rate of $25.84 per hour and comprehensive health care coverage, amongst other benefits. We greatly value all our team members’ work and felt the offer that we presented was generous.
It seems that the offer is being declined due to a clause in the Collective Bargaining Agreement concerning the monitoring of driver speed and behavior during vehicle operation. It’s worth noting that this practice is widespread across North America and is fundamentally tied to our unwavering commitment to safety. We agree with Dr. Lolli, Superintendent, that employee accountability and safety are paramount when serving the students of Lakota Schools. We will continue to push these principles in our continued dealings with the Union to settle this labor contract. To that end, our discussions with Union representatives will persist throughout today and over the weekend.”
Petermann Bus
Local 100 wants Lakota Schools to use whatever leverage they have to make Petermann return to the negotiating table to provide a “fair” contract with “reasonable demands.”
