A Kentucky school bus driver says she makes $19,000 a year (story here).
In Rhode Island, drivers for three school districts unionized, then authorized a strike after the school bus company refused to bargain (story here).
In Minneapolis, school bus drivers unanimously authorized a strike if mediation fails to improve pay and working conditions (story here).
“Strikes, walkouts, protests or sick-outs among school bus drivers have taken place this fall in many states including North Carolina, New Mexico, Maryland, Florida, Indiana, Georgia Pennsylvania and New York among others,” the Guardian reports (see story here).
Driving a school bus is a crummy job. Pay is low, sometimes very low (as in the Kentucky example above), and unlike many other workers, they aren’t seeing pay raises. Drivers have to work split shifts, and work only part of the year, but their schedules often preclude other supplementary employment.
They’re exposed to elevated Covid-19 risks, and when schools were forced into virtual learning, they were laid off without pay. Many didn’t have work during the pandemic. Now, with many districts facing driver shortages, they face demands to drive more routes without extra pay.
The Rhode Island drivers want a guarantee of 180 paid days a year. The Kentucky driver objects to using paid sick leave to quarantine as a result of work exposure; she needs that sick leave for her ordinary medical needs. A North Carolina driver making $13.25 an hour complains about having to pay for his license, training, and background checks out of his own pocket.
It’s not an easy job. Job Monkey says (here),
“On a typical day, a school bus driver arrives at the bus yard early to get the school bus ready. They check the bus to ensure it is running safely, clean the interior and exterior of the bus, and collect any lost and found items that children may have left from the previous day. They also make sure the bus has enough fuel ….
” … they must always keep on schedule – schools, parents, and events depend on the bus arriving on time. This can be challenging when there are traffic jams, road construction, or bad weather. …
“School bus drivers must be prepared for all sorts of things – traffic, angry parents, fights, bullying, medical emergencies, and other unexpected things that children might do. Any issue that arises needs to be dealt with professionally and cheerfully. …
And, of course, the job comes with a tremendous load of responsibility.
Would you do that for less than $20,000 a year? While school districts complain of a driver shortage, drivers argue the problem is a “salary shortage.” Pay more, they say, and school districts will have the drivers they need.