Bus strike would not stop DeKalb schools
By KATE SCHOTT kschott@daily-chronicle.com
DeKALB – Schools in the DeKalb School District will remain in session even if the drivers with the busing company the district uses vote to strike, district officials said Thursday.
Representatives from Teamsters Local 330 told district officials late Wednesday night that DeKalb school bus drivers couldn't guarantee service after Thursday unless an agreement is reached with First Student Inc. The district contracts with First Student to provide busing services, and is not involved in the negotiations.
First Student spokeswoman Maureen Richmond said the union has indicated that bus service would be provided today.
Richmond said the company has offered a more than 20 percent wage increase during the next four years. The union has asked for a 47 percent increase during the next four years, Richmond said, with more than half of that in the first year.
Some of the nearly 100 bus drivers in the district voted in late February to join the Elgin-based Teamsters Local 330. In March, Ellen Klenke, one of five drivers spearheading the unionization, told the Daily Chronicle that the group was electing officers to work with the union to draw up the first contract.
When reached Thursday she said she was not part of the negotiating team and referred the Daily Chronicle to another union member. The newspaper did not successfully contact that person. A man who answered a phone at Teamsters Local 330 headquarters in Elgin declined to comment.
Arnold Graefen, who identified himself as a driver for the district, spoke at a special school board meeting Wednesday night and asked for community support during the negotiations. He said First Student has met with the union at least eight times, but had walked out of negotiations earlier that day.
The company understands the union could chose to strike at any time, Richmond said.
"We are committed to resuming discussions in order to resolve this situation and sincerely apologize for the impact this uncertainty will have on area parents," she added.
The district is working in a number of ways to provide replacement transportation service, DeKalb Schools spokesman Russ Fletcher said, by working with First Student or utilizing other bus companies.
The district is asking parents to ensure that their children are on the bus prior to leaving a child unattended at a bus stop. If bus service is not available, parents should plan for alternative transportation or carpooling with neighbors, according to a written statement from the district.
The district is working to ensure bus coverage for as many routes as possible, Fletcher said, adding that students with specialized transportation plans should know that they will be picked up by a different driver and bus company than they are used to.
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