"The fight over new school bus contracts has escalated in New York City, with a coalition of companies threatening they will have to halt service and lay off workers as soon as Nov. 1 amid negotiations with the city. Local public school parents have complained for decades about poor school bus service. At the root of the problem are outdated contracts with school bus companies that haven't been updated in decades amid a labor dispute, many education observers say."
"But in a new letter, an attorney for the bus companies serving 150,000 students said the arrangement is unsustainable and may prompt them to shut down service. The attorney, John "Sean" Crowley, called the emergency extensions "unfeasible and impractical" in an affidavit to the New York state Labor Department on Friday. He wrote the city's last-minute approach to the contracts raised the possibility the bus companies may have to terminate drivers on Oct. 31."
"Panel chair Gregory Faulkner said it wasn't clear whether the threat to service was some sort of "misunderstanding" with the bus companies, or a strategic move to pressure the city into a deal. "This is normal," Faulkner said, adding that the contracts would only lapse if the companies refuse to sign them. "It's in their court.""
A coalition of school bus companies serving about 150,000 students says ongoing month-to-month emergency contract extensions are unsustainable and could force service shutdowns and layoffs as early as Nov. 1. Outdated contracts and a lingering labor dispute lie at the root of long-standing poor bus service complaints from public school parents. The companies' attorney warned a last-minute city approach may require terminating drivers. Panel for Educational Policy members seek contract terms that improve service and plan to continue short-term extensions while negotiations proceed, with uncertainty over whether the shutdown threat is strategic or genuine.
Read at Gothamist
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