Idle Boston School Buses

Boston school buses sit idle in the Roxbury Washington Street Terminal as workers engaged in a "wildcat strike" to protest working conditions under contractor Veolia.

(Garrett Quinn, MassLive)

BOSTON — Hundreds of Boston school bus drivers caused headaches for thousands of parents and city officials when engaged in a "work action" on Tuesday to protest what they perceive as unfair and inhumane working conditions under the city's new school transportation contractor Veolia.

The work action, or "wildcat strike" as it is often called, occurred, according to union officials, because of a boiling over of tensions that have been building since Veolia took over as the city's primary provider of student transportation from First Student in July. Drivers and other workers complained about problems with payroll, being required to fill out new hire forms or face termination, and a general overall feeling of shabby treatment from Veolia management. The usage of a GPS system to monitor driver progress and allow families to view where buses are in real time has been the source of past problems between the union and subcontractors.

"It's absolutely not a strike. The membership did not vote for a strike, leadership did not call for a strike," said Local 8751 Vice President Steve Gillis at the Washington Street bus terminal in Roxbury.

Gillis said the union was planning an action that would not have interrupted school transportation services this coming Saturday but the controversial firing of a 26-year supervisor the night before changed all that and led to today's action.

A scrolling banner statement on the union's website echoed the concerns voiced by Gillis.

"Stop Employer Abuse of Anti-Labor Global Positioning System spy devices! Stop illegal government interfernce in private collective bargaining! Honor the new Contract! We want Safety, Monitors, new buses and anti-pollution technology for the children. Stop Union-Busting and Racist Attacks on Desegregation, Now!" read the statement.

Officials from Veolia referred MassLive.com to the Boston Public Schools spokesperson Brian Ballou who was unavailable for comment. Veolia is engaged in other transportation ventures like the commuter rail in the Greater Boston area.

Other city officials called it an "illegal strike" and vowed swift action.

"I want the bus drivers back on the road tomorrow morning. This is illegal. We will not allow them to use our students as pawns. We will made sure this illegal behavior has consequences," said Mayor Tom Menino at a City Hall press conference.

Menino said the city had to scramble a variety of resources that included Boston police and MBTA personnel to assist in the transportation of students to and from school today. Boston Police Superintendent Daniel Linksey estimates that the cost of police overtime to assist in student transportation is in the neighborhood of $30-$35,000.

"We're going to take legal action, not illegal actions that the bus drivers took," Menino said, vowing to take disciplinary action against the drivers.



Mayoral candidates City Councilor John Connolly and State Representative Marty Walsh both condemned the strike and urged the drivers to go back to work.

"It is shameful for the school bus drivers union to use our children as pawns in a political game. This is about safety first and foremost, and it is totally unacceptable that our children were put at risk this morning, not to mention the impact on thousands of parents who will miss work. Missing even one day of school is a real problem for our children who face a daunting achievement gap," said Connolly in a statement.

"Kids and parents must come first. This is wrong. The bus drivers have put our children in harm's way. This is an illegal action, causing a huge disruption, and I call on the bus drivers to return to work immediately. This is a violation of the contract and cannot be tolerated," said Walsh in a statement.

Over 100 drivers at the Roxbury yard milled about as dozens of buses sat idle in the yard. A representative from the United Steelworkers spoke to the workers and urged them to go back to work because their strike was unauthorized. The drivers booed the man, Albert Polk, and tore up the letters from the national office of the USW he provided them. A video of this incident can be seen at right.

"What you are doing is wrong," said Polk, an assistant to the international director of the USW for District 4, when addressing the union.

Drivers yelled at Polk, telling him that they did not like the way he was talking to them and that they would not go back to work until they received answers from Veolia and received more respect on the job.

"We need to have you folks ready to go to work as soon as the company calls you back.

Polk spoke with City Councilor Charles Yancey before trying to leave the yard, where he was occasionally heckled by drivers.

"They need to understand they are under a labor agreement and there is a certain way to handle these things. We're willing to meet with the employer and solve these issues but we can't do it from the outside, we need to do it from the inside," said Polk.

Yancey told MassLive.com that he understood the plight of the workers and that he thinks poorly of Veolia, but that they need to think of the parents and children, too.

"I think it's important to treat our bus drivers with dignity and respect. I think all human beings deserve that," said Yancey.

Zora Garica, a mother of two students at the James M. Curley School in Jamaica Plain, said she was annoyed by the "wildcat strike" because she had to take her son, Santiago, to his afterschool program when they normally would take the bus.

Many parents outside the Curley school walked their kids to school but told MassLive.com that they were unhappy. Dee Dee, a mom from Roslindale with two children in the Jamaica Plain school who went only by her first name, said she would have more sympathy for the workers if they organized and planned the action instead of springing it on unsuspecting parents.

The most recent Boston school bus driver strike was in 1991.

Attorneys Paul Hodnett and Michael Coppock are filing an injunction on behalf of Veolia and the city to force the drivers back to work Wednesday They have an emergency hearing set for 5:30 p.m.

Here's the formal complaint.

Complaint for an injunction against the United Steelworkers Local 8751.

Mayor Menino has scheduled a 6:15 p.m. press conference at City Hall to update the public and press on the situation.

MassLive.com's Kate Royals contributed to this story.