CV Might Fire School Bus Drivers

The is considering terminating all of its bus drivers, transportation support staff and custodians in favor of hiring a private company to do the work.

The school board will meet Monday morning to vote on a contractual fact finding report that was already accepted by the Chartiers Valley Education Support Professionals union.  

If the board rejects the fact finding report at its 7:30 a.m. meeting, which a union representative thinks is a strong possibility, the bus drivers and custodians could be out of a job after the end of this school year. Butch Santicola, the spokesman for the union, said the school district has solicited proposals for a private company to take over the busing of students.

“We’re concerned about that,” Santicola said. “A lot of good people will lose their jobs, salaries and everything they’ve worked for over their lives.”

The union plans to meet Sunday to discuss whether a strike should be implemented before the end of the school year. Santicola said a strike isn’t ideal, but the union might not have any other options.

If the board rejects the fact finding report, Santicola said the union could strike as early as Wednesday morning.

“What choice do they have? They’re going to lose their jobs, possibly,” he said. “These actions are not taken lightly or without much thought.”

The Post-Gazette reported that the union has been working without a contract since 2011.

School district officials released a statement on the situation Friday afternoon:

The Chartiers Valley School District is disappointed to learn that Chartiers Valley Support Personnel Association (CVSPA) is contemplating a strike.

The school board did reject the Fact Finder’s report and will take formal action regarding the report at the special action school board meeting scheduled for Monday, May 21 at 7:30 am.

The district still hopes to reach a mutual agreement with CVSPA and fully intends to continue to follow the negotiating process in good faith to reach that end. The school board has directed its chief negotiator, Mike Brungo, to schedule additional negotiating sessions with CVSPA. The district believes more could be accomplished by good-faith bargaining than a strike.

Under Act 88, CVSPA must give the district 48 hours notice of its intent to strike. If that occurs, the district will communicate to families in the Chartiers Valley community by letter, our website (www.cvsd.net) and the AlertNOW phone system. Although we hope a strike does not occur, the district is currently developing contingency plans to continue operating if CVSPA does decide to strike.

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