Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Labor Transportation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Transportation employee tells board drivers are shortstaffed, urges higher pay and better benefits
Summary
A transportation department employee told the board that drivers and chaperones are not "part-time" and urged changes to pay, paid holidays and scheduling to address staffing shortages; the comment requested the board consider negotiation parameters before the next bargaining meeting.
A transportation employee addressed the District 196 school board Sept. 15 during a special-communication slot, urging the district to revise contract-negotiation parameters to address driver shortages and improve compensation.
Speaking from the podium as Jasmine Briggs, who identified herself as being "with the transportation department," she said transportation employees are "split shift workers, many working 40 plus hours per week" and asked the district to stop labeling them "part-time." Briggs said neighboring districts pay more; as an example she cited a Washington County contract that she said provides "$25 an hour for the first year and $27 an hour for the second year." Briggs urged the board to re-examine how overtime funds and administrative driving are used to free staff and pay higher wages to recruit and retain drivers.
"Putting children first means you need to put your employees there too," Briggs said, and she asked the board to consider adjustments before the next negotiation meeting to avoid continued shortages.
There was no formal response from the board during the special-communications portion; the item was part of the public-comment agenda and did not prompt immediate board action in the meeting.
