Clock is ticking on Providence bus driver strike. What's at stake and when could it start?

PROVIDENCE – Public school bus drivers pushed off a possible strike by 48 hours amid negotiations with their employer, First Student. But with talks on the rocks, a transportation crisis may await roughly 8,500 students and their parents.

Teamsters Local 251, which represents the drivers, voted overwhelmingly against ratifying a contract with the company over the weekend, finding several issues with the proposal. Among them: pay.

What do drivers want?

Last week, First Student offered to raise top step pay to $35.30 per hour by June 30, 2026. Right now, the top rate is $28 per hour. However, according to the chapter's secretary and treasurer, Matt Taibi, who is also the union's eastern region vice president, that boost will take effect just as the current contract ends, lasting only for one day.

At that point, a new contract will have been negotiated, and Taibi assumes it will be tough to advocate for another wage hike.

"Presumably, they'll say you just got a big raise," Taibi predicted. "We're not going to give you another raise in the next contract."

More:First Student makes 'last effort' to avert major Providence school bus driver strike

First Student spokesman Frank McMahon had been hoping the offer would be well received, pointing out that the boost would make those drivers "some of the highest paid in the region."

Union members also wanted better health care coverage and pushed for pensions that they said would offer more retirement security than self-directed investment accounts. That was denied.

What is First Student's position?

In a statement late Saturday, McMahon said First Student was "disappointed" that no agreement was reached but was "encouraged" that the strike was delayed, warning that it "would have had serious consequences and unfairly burdened Providence students and their families."

Currently, drivers have a Teamsters Savings and Investment Plan, which was created after a 2018 strike that caused student absences to surge. While First Student committed to doubling its contributions to the plan, McMahon expressed frustration at what he described as an about-face on the part of the union.

Members initially said the plan addressed concerns, "only to change their minds just a few years later," McMahon said, contending that union leadership "is not concerned with achieving the best deal for drivers."

What happens if there is a strike?

If drivers strike, thousands of students in Providence's elementary and middle schools might be left without transportation. Some high schoolers would be affected, too; while the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority serves high schools, First Student handles high school sports trips and special needs students.

The district has not provided any contingency plan. During the 2018 strike, absenteeism became a serious issue. By day seven of the eleven-day strike, 250 students had missed six days of class.

This time around, students at least have the possibility of remote learning, an option that was not available years ago. It was not immediately clear whether the district would consider that as its backup plan.

In a joint statement issued late Monday, Gov. Dan McKee, Mayor Brett Smiley, state Department of Education Commissioner Angélica Infante-Green, Providence Public School District Superintendent Javier Montañez and School Board President Erlin Rogel warned the impact of a strike would be severe.

"We cannot stress this enough: A strike would be extremely detrimental to families, students, educators and the entire Providence community," the statement said. "A strike will negatively impact our efforts to improve student attendance and help students recover from the pandemic’s impact on their education, all at a crucial time as schools are preparing students for [Rhode Island Comprehensive Assessment System] assessments in the coming weeks."

RIDE spokesman Victor Morente said the district is "exploring alternate options for families," including reimbursement, though he did not immediately offer any details.

Now it's a waiting game. The union has sent a counteroffer to First Student and wants a response by the close of business Tuesday.

McMahon said the counterproposal was received Monday and "First Student will provide union leadership with an enhanced final contract offer shortly."

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Providence bus driver strike could be coming as First Student negotiations stall