School Bus Drivers Tentatively Agree To New Contract
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
City school bus drivers tentatively agreed to a new contract on the first day of summer school yesterday, preventing a disruption of service for some 37,000 students.
The parties involved would not disclose details of the three-year pact until the Amalgamated Transit Union’s Local 1181 membership could hear them, but a union spokesman, Steve Mangione, said the tentative agreement contained “no givebacks and no concessions.”
About 8,400 school bus drivers, escorts and mechanics would be covered by the new agreement, and a ratification vote was planned for July 18.
“The union believes that it’s a fair and equitable contract that will provide job stability, wage increases and pension, health and other benefits to the membership,” Mr. Mangione said.
Union members voted to authorize a strike last month. Officials said then that members were concerned about paying a 1.5% health premium.
The agreement with the New York City Bus Contractors’ Coalition was reached after about five hours of negotiations at a Staten Island hotel. The bus drivers’ contract expired June 30, but drivers took children to summer school yesterday morning.
