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St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Lee Enterprises

Friday, November 20, 2009 9:41 PM CST
Drivers, school bus company reach tentative agreement

By ROB STROUD, Staff Writer
rstroud@jg-tc.com

CHARLESTON — School buses will be operating as normal next week in the Charleston school district following a tentative agreement being reached Friday on a bus driver contract.

First Student Transportation, the district’s bus company, and the collective bargaining committee for Teamsters Local 26, which represents the company’s drivers in the district, reached the tentative agreement early in the afternoon following a four-hour negotiating session, said First Student spokeswoman Maureen Richmond.

“There will be no interruption in service,” Richmond said.

While negotiations were ongoing during the last week and a strike was a possibility, the district had been keeping parents updated on a day-to-day basis on whether the school buses would be running.

Teamsters Local 26 representative Tim Donovan said he considers the tentative agreement to be a fair contract and he thinks most of the union’s Charleston membership — 65 drivers and monitors — will be happy with it.

Union and company representatives have both said salary issues were what was behind the contract negotiations. The Charleston facility’s drivers voted to unionize about a year ago.

Donovan said the tentative agreement includes a wage increase but he declined to give specifics because the union’s Charleston membership has not yet looked at this document.

He said the agreement will be presented to the membership for a vote sometime after Thanksgiving.

Superintendent Jim LIttleford said he is glad to hear a tentative agreement has been reached and said he would give official notice to parents that the buses will be running next week.

If there had been a strike, the Illinois State Board of Education informed the district that school cannot take place if there is no bus transportation available for eligible students.

Richmond said First Student apologizes for the uncertainty that parents in the Charleston school district faced when a strike was a possibility and appreciates their patience during the contract negotiations.

Contact Rob Stroud at rstroud@jg-tc.com or 238-6861.

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underpaiddriver wrote on Nov 21, 2009 8:21 PM:

" Thats is great news! "

bus driver wrote on Nov 22, 2009 11:50 AM:

" Yes, we hope it doesn't come to a strike, but we haven't got to see this contract and we have not voted on this contract yet! "

Hound Dog wrote on Nov 23, 2009 5:49 AM:

" Probably sorry they ever got involved with Teamsters Local #26 in the first place. Would have been hell to pay if kids could not go to school. "

~STRANGER~ wrote on Nov 23, 2009 6:58 AM:

" I heard "matchbox"is hiring drivers. "