After more than six months of failed negotiations, school bus drivers with Canadian Auto Workers Local 4268 are poised to strike against First Student Canada. The 750 drivers of Grey-Bruce, Ontario have been without a contract since September 2011 and have given the union a mandate to call a strike on a 72-hour notice.
Although tensions are high, First Student Canada, whose parent company is First Group America, and the union are still negotiating. The school bus drivers wish to avert a strike, but would overwhelmingly support one if it were to occur.
Despite being paid unfairly, school bus drivers are expected to fulfill numerous tasks before, between and after driving their routes. They are also expected to drive the bus and care for the child passengers at the same time.
“We’re carrying children,” said Local 4268 President Debbie Montgomery. “We’re certainly not making the money that public transit does or the trucking industry does and we’re carrying the nation’s future.”
