Support staff and bus drivers urge Lincoln Way board to settle contract negotiations

Three district employees used public comment at the Nov. 20 Lincoln Way Community High School District 210 board meeting to press the board for progress in ongoing contract negotiations.

Jim Irvia, who said he has worked in the district more than 30 years, told the board many categories of support staff — bus drivers, maintenance workers, custodians, food-service employees, paraprofessionals and media-center staff — have been without a contract since the start of the school year and that negotiations have been under way since February. "Without bus drivers, our kids can't get to school," Irvia said, arguing that unresolved contracts risk disrupting basic services pupils rely on.

Bus driver Micheline Lazarski described choosing District 210 in part for guaranteed hours but said pay after the fifth hour has been noncompetitive, that she spent early weeks disputing timecard entries, and that earlier tentative contracts left some drivers feeling underpaid. Lazarski said improved union communications and a recent survey show members now want more competitive wages and benefits to retain staff.

Another bus driver, Tal Chet, said drivers routinely start before other staff and can work upward of 50–60 hours in some weeks while receiving part-time pay and benefits. "We're getting part-time pay; we're putting in more than 40 hours a week," he told the board, and urged the district to offer pay that reflects the hours and responsibilities drivers perform.

The comments were made during the public-comment period; board members did not take immediate action on the speakers' requests at the meeting. Several speakers framed their remarks around student welfare and staff retention rather than announcing formal bargaining positions.