Judge Declares School Bus Companies Must Restore Wages, Benefits

From Juan Gonzalez:

A Brooklyn federal judge has handed the city’s 8,800 school bus drivers and matrons a huge back-to-school victory.

Judge Kiyo Matsumoto issued an injunction last week ordering 28 school bus companies to restore across-the-board cuts in wages and benefits that those firms slapped on their employees this year.

The wage cuts — a stiff 7.5% for drivers and 3.75% for bus matrons — were suddenly imposed by the companies in April in the midst of talks over a new labor contract. The owners also reduced overtime, eliminated Easter and Christmas week pay, and instituted cuts in health insurance contributions.

The judge ordered the owners to immediately resume “good-faith bargaining” with Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1181, the bus drivers union. Union leaders hope the new talks drag out until Mayor Bloomberg leaves office in four months, believing his successor will be more sensitive to their needs.

She made her ruling at the request of the National Labor Relations Board, which held a hearing in late July to determine whether the bus owners’ actions violated federal labor law. Even though the board has yet to issue a final decision in the case, it nonetheless petitioned Matsumoto for the injunction because of its “reasonable cause to believe that unfair labor practices have been committed.”

Federal labor law requires that an impasse can be declared only when both sides agree, not when one side acts, Matsumoto noted.

She cited testimony at the NLRB hearing that “union members are having trouble paying bills, feared losing their homes (and) were going bankrupt,” and that “irreparable harm” could come to their collective bargaining rights unless their previous wages and working conditions were restored.

A separate NLRB hearing process is expected to decide whether the workers will also get back wages.

“We believe the judge's decision was erroneous and have already filed our notice of appeal,” said Jeff Pollack, attorney for the bus companies. “We are ready to go back to the table immediately and start negotiating a fair and reasonable contract.”

“It’s nice to win a battle for a change,” said Michael Cordiello, president of Local 1181. “Hopefully, we will get a new mayor who helps us.”

The top pay for bus drivers had been $50,000.  

For bus matrons, it was $28,000.

Not exactly extravagant wages here.

But Bloomberg and the bus companies wanted those wages cuts so that the bus companies could make more money and Bloomberg would have more cash to hand to his real estate cronies for tax deals.

Let us hope the drivers and matrons get a better contract with a new mayor - one where they do not have to worry about losing their homes or going bankrupt.

That's not to much to ask, is it?