School bus drivers who carry more than 5,200 Princeton City Schools students each day are set to walk off the job Thursday morning after contract talks between their union and private contractor First Student broke down without a deal. The district, based in Sharonville, Ohio, says buildings will stay open on normal schedules and staff will report as usual even if buses don't roll.
According to fox19.com, the drivers' current contract runs out at midnight Wednesday following a two-month extension, and negotiations between the union and First Student ended without an agreement in place for what comes next. The station reports the standoff centers on pay, health coverage and other contract terms that have been sticking points for weeks.
Princeton City Schools has been open about the possibility of a work stoppage, telling families that students able to get to school are encouraged to attend in person on Thursday and Friday. Per WLWT, if a student is unable to make it because of transportation issues, at-home learning options will be made available so kids don't fall behind.
No Penalties for Families Caught in the Middle
The district says it won't hold the dispute against students or their parents. Families will not be penalized for absences or tardiness caused by transportation disruptions on October 1 and 2, the station's report notes, a pledge Princeton City Schools built into its planning as soon as a strike began to look likely.
The union representing the drivers, the Ohio Association of Public School Employees, is asking for wage increases of $3 an hour in the first year of a new contract and $2 an hour in each of the following two years, along with a 5.5-hour daily route guarantee, per fox19.com's reporting. First Student, according to the union's account relayed by the same outlet, countered with raises of $2, $1 and $1 over three years while rejecting the union's proposed contract language altogether.
Union representatives have pointed to low pay and a lack of employer-provided health care as the core sticking points keeping the two sides apart, the outlet reports. Princeton City Schools contracts with First Student, Inc. for its transportation services, and district officials have said their goal is to give families advance notice and flexibility while keeping learning on track no matter what happens with the buses.
Part of a Wider Ohio Driver Shortage
The Princeton standoff is unfolding against the backdrop of a statewide staffing crunch. Ohio public schools are experiencing a 15% day-to-day school bus driver shortage, according to the Ohio Capital Journal. The outlet attributes the shortage to recruitment, retention, financial and operational challenges that have plagued districts across the state, and cites a survey finding that 62% of Ohio bus drivers and aides reported feeling unsupported when dealing with challenging student behavior.
Princeton isn't the only community watching a First Student dispute this year. More than 750 school bus workers represented by Teamsters Local 251 in Rhode Island were preparing to strike at First Student after negotiations over eight local supplemental agreements broke down, according to Teamster.org. That potential walkout threatened to affect transportation for students across nine districts, including Providence, Pawtucket, Lincoln, Smithfield, Central Falls, Barrington, Bristol-Warren, Portsmouth and West Warwick, as reported by WPRI.
Labor tension with the contractor isn't new nationally, either. Teamster.org also reported that a national agreement reached with First Student in March averted a nationwide strike involving more than 17,000 bus workers across 96 union locals, showing how widespread the company's labor negotiations have been this year even as individual districts like Princeton now face their own local showdown.
For now, Princeton City Schools says it will keep monitoring the negotiations and share updates if an agreement is reached or if plans for Thursday and Friday change. The district has also said it will provide additional information about student learning, traffic patterns and safety measures as the situation develops.
