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Lincoln Way bus drivers, support staff urge board to reopen contract talks after tentative agreement rejected
Summary
Union and district employees told the board that a tentative five-year successor agreement for more than 200 support staff was rejected by membership for insufficient pay and unfavorable terms; district officials said the agreement was negotiated in good faith and both sides must return to bargaining.
Public comments at the Lincoln Way CHSD 210 Board of Education meeting on Oct. 16 focused on a failed ratification of a tentative successor collective-bargaining agreement for more than 200 support staff, including bus drivers, paraprofessionals, cafeteria workers, custodians and security personnel.
Carl Tascone, a district maintenance employee and member of the bargaining-unit team, told the board the membership voted down the proposed pact after eight months of negotiations. "The overall sentiment was that our members do not want to be forced into a 5 year agreement with pay and working conditions that are not competitive with nearby surrounding districts," Tascone said. He urged the district and union to return to the table to craft a deal that attracts and retains quality employees.
Jim Arvia, a bus driver, cited pay comparisons with neighboring districts and the contract’s five-year term as the main reasons members rejected the proposal. He said recruitment and retention problems are causing operational strain: "We're not asking for anything outrageous. We're not looking for $50 an hour," Arvia said, adding that nearby districts currently pay higher starting wages.
Nancy Schreiber, also a bus driver, described practical effects she says arise from driver shortages and the proposed contract changes: reassignment to unfamiliar routes, doubling runs, and reductions to activity and shuttle pay that she warned would lower overall compensation. "That's not fair," Schreiber said of proposed changes to activity and shuttle pay.
In response, a district representative told the meeting the tentative agreement had been negotiated in good faith and was reached by both sides as a basis for membership ratification. The administrator encouraged union leadership and members to identify specific provisions they want changed and return to bargaining. "There are parameters on what we can spend," the representative said, and both sides will need to work through changes.
Next steps were not set at the meeting; the board adjourned to closed session later in the agenda. The union and administration will determine whether to reopen negotiations and which terms to revise.
