So the Jackson School Bus Drivers fiasco (Madison: 2013, schools)

[madison2013]

1. Bus drivers are on strike because they want more money.
2. School board says no.
3. Bus drivers threaten to unionize.
4. School board has started talking to private bus companies.


Attention bus drivers. You work PART TIME. If you want more money then get another job.

Thoughts?

[JacksonPanther]

Originally Posted by madison2013

1. Bus drivers are on strike because they want more money.
2. School board says no.
3. Bus drivers threaten to unionize.
4. School board has started talking to private bus companies.


Attention bus drivers. You work PART TIME. If you want more money then get another job.

Thoughts?

This is Jackson, MS, not Chicago. Where will the private bus company find enough drivers with the proper licensing, who will work for less money than the current drivers? If JPS hires a private company, I presume the plan would be to pay the private company less than what they're paying all the drivers now, right?

[madison2013]

Originally Posted by JacksonPanther

This is Jackson, MS, not Chicago. Where will the private bus company find enough drivers with the proper licensing, who will work for less money than the current drivers? If JPS hires a private company, I presume the plan would be to pay the private company less than what they're paying all the drivers now, right?

What does Chicago have to do with this?

And the new company could get paid the same the drivers are getting paid now. This all comes down to school bus drivers, who work FIVE hours a day, upset that they can't support their families on their current pay scale. THAT is the problem. People who have part time jobs who want to be paid more money. These people also get paid holidays and healthcare. Where in the world do they think they are going to get a sweet gig like that after they are all fired?

[Madeline2121]

OP, I agree with you. I think the whole thing is ridiculous.

[viverlibre]

I heard on the radio that most bus drivers in MS start in the $14/hour range, while Rankin County starts in the $17/hour range (have no idea if any of this is true). JPS bus drivers start at $8/hour.

My guess is that in the JPS budget, the money that would normally pay bus drivers is being siphoned off to "other" uses.

I'm not advocating either way.

[madison2013]

I very seriously doubt a school bus driver is making $17/hr.

[zblanton1]

Originally Posted by madison2013

I very seriously doubt a school bus driver is making $17/hr.

Hey, it's Rankin County .. They're buses are very high quality!

[zblanton1]

A lot better than Madison County, who still uses buses from the mid 1980s!

[madison2013]

Originally Posted by zblanton1

A lot better than Madison County, who still uses buses from the mid 1980s!

Yeah everyone knows that newer busses mean well disciplined students, higher test scores, and fewer cases of truancy.


Oh wait


Nice try





LOL at abysmal Jackson schools.

[JacksonPanther]

Originally Posted by madison2013

What does Chicago have to do with this?

And the new company could get paid the same the drivers are getting paid now. This all comes down to school bus drivers, who work FIVE hours a day, upset that they can't support their families on their current pay scale. THAT is the problem. People who have part time jobs who want to be paid more money. These people also get paid holidays and healthcare. Where in the world do they think they are going to get a sweet gig like that after they are all fired?

Try to keep up...

Chicago - Big city, with many people who have a CDL, so that it is easier to replace them.
Jackson - Small city, with fewer people who have a CDL, so it may be harder to replace JPS drivers.

If Jackson were to fire all its drivers and hire a private company for the same total cost, the private company will pay its drivers even less than they get now, because the private company will want profit/overhead beyond the driver salaries. Will the private company be able to find enough qualified drivers to work for even less than what JPS pays today?