110102 Bus drivers pan contract, no plans to strike
BY FELIX CARROLL RECORD REVIEW
In a 62-12 vote, school bus drivers, mechanics and monitors last Friday rejected a tentative contract made between their union and Baumann
Sons Buses Inc., which provides service for the Bedford Central School District. Despite the vote, the workers said they have no plans to go on strike, as they (lid for two days in September, leaving thousands of students to seek other means of transportation.
Instead, the workers today are meeting; with the National Labor Relations Board in Manhattan to sever their ties with their union, Teamsters Local 456, whom they allege has failed to negotiate on their best behalf since before their contract expired June 30.
"They've assured us they have no intention of striking again," said Bedford Central Schools Superintendent Bruce Dennis, "and certainly the district is going to do anything it can in its power to help facilitate a productive conclusion to these negotiations."
Stan Rebackoff, who was fired by the Teamsters in his role of shop steward but who remains a bus driver with Baumann and the workers' spokesman, said the meeting today will include representatives from Teamsters and Baumann. The labor relations board must decide whether to grant the drivers' wish to decertify their contract with Teamsters. Workers would then be called for a vote on the matter.
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If the vote happens and passes, Baumann will have to deal directly with us on any new contract negotiations," said Mr. Rebackoff.Since the workers led a wildcat strike Sept. 26 and 27, they were shut out by Teamsters in subsequent contract negotiations with Baumann. Roy Barnes, an attorney for the union who did the bargaining on the workers' behalf - but without the workers' permission - has referred to the drivers leading the strike as a "small group of malcontents." In truth, 70 of the 91 workers signed a petition to get rid of the Teamsters.
Teamsters officials last Thursday tried to convince drivers to support the contract by visiting the bus yard, which is behind Kohl's department store in Bedford Hills. The contingent included Mr. Barnes, who spoke to the workers at the yard.
"What happened was they were so arrogant, from Roy Barnes down," said Mr. Rebackoff. "He was so arrogant in what he said to the people that he single-handedly got that thing voted down. He did. He was so pompous that the people just said, `The hell with you.'
"I didn't have to say anything to get the thing defeated. He did it all by himself."
Mr. Barnes could not be reached for comment.
Teamsters has alleged the Bedford workers were being raided by another union, Transit Workers Union Local 100. The Bedford drivers deny the charge, though they do note Local 100 has negotiated better deals for Baumann drivers in area school districts, including Ossining, Yorktown and New Canaan, Conn.
The workers said they will form their own union, to be called Bedford Drivers Alliance. In fact, by law, they will not be allowed to join Local 100 or any other AFL-CIO-certified local for one year if they are successful in severing ties with Local 456.
The Bedford workers said they rejected the tentative contract reached last month between union officials and the bus company because it was not much different from an offer the drivers rejected before striking.
Proposed salary increases would have remained the same, only rather than bus drivers reaching the proposed maximum hourly wage of $19.27 in five years, drivers could reach it in four years. The same schedule would go for van drivers and monitors, whose maximum hourly wage is lower than bus drivers.
Baumann also agreed to increase vacation time. Under the proposed contract, once the drivers and monitors had four years of service they would have received two extra vacation days; once they had five years of service they would have received another two days. A $10,000 life insurance policy would also have been part of the contract. The drivers have no such policy now.
In addition, Baumann would have given drivers a paid holiday two years into the contract and another holiday in the third year. Employees on the payroll prior to June 30 would have received service bonuses on Christmas amounting to a combined $550 by 2006. A health plan, sponsored by Local 456, was offered that had a lower co-pay than the coverage offered by Baumann, but the coverage was not as comprehensive as the Baumann plan. Under the Baumann health coverage plan, drivers on the family plan currently pay 68 percent of the cost, which amounts to about $6,500 a year. Most of the workers earn only about $20,000 a year.
The drivers said the offer still included no sick days. And salaries remained a stumbling point.