NRT school bus drivers continue to strike in Marlborough: 'We are not getting a fair wage'

Bus drivers were outside Whitcomb Middle School in Marlborough Monday morning, wearing signs supporting a school bus driver strike.

Carol Willoughby, a Marlborough resident who drives a small bus for special needs students, is on the negotiating team for the drivers. Willoughby said part of the contention in the negotiating is that while drivers of large school buses were given a raise, drivers of smaller vehicles and monitors were not given a similar raise.

"We are frustrated we are not getting a fair wage, NRT refuses to give us a fair wage, the City of Marlborough gave the big bus drivers an $8 per hour raise, up to $34 per hour, we were left at the bottom of the totem pole," Willoughby. "We just got nothing, usually we are $2 per hour away from the big bus drivers, they were $26 per hour and we were $24 per hour, and now they are up at $34 and we are way down there still."

Strike will continue into Tuesday

Marlborough Superintendent Mary Murphy announced to parents Monday night the strike will continue on Tuesday and they will again be responsible for getting their children to school. Her message to the community was:

"Thank you to all of you that helped get our children to school this morning! I am sorry to report that we have been notified the strike will continue. Please follow the plans provided to you by your child’s school for arrival and dismissal procedures. We will be working to improve traffic around all schools."

The 55 school bus drivers who work in Marlborough Public School District began striking Monday morning. The drivers are part of Teamsters Local 170, which represents bus drivers and monitors in Framingham, Marlborough and Westborough, and their dispute is with NRT, the North Reading-based vendor that is contracted by the districts to provide school busing.

An agreement was reached on Sunday evening to avoid a strike in Framingham and Westborough school bus drivers are not yet striking but an agreement on that contract has not been reached. While the Teamsters represent bus drivers in all three communities, each contract is negotiated separately, which is how Framingham avoided a strike, while Marlborough and Westborough are still waiting on deals to be signed.

What we know about the absentee rate on Monday

Marlborough Superintendent Mary Murphy told the Daily News that approximately 83% of students were present in class on Monday. Murphy said that 83% number is 87% of what typical attendance is for Marlborough Public Schools, which suggests that approximately 13% of all students were unable to attend school due to the bus strike.

Marlborough School District: Official maps of walking route to the district that are staffed

Murphy said that teachers and students were prepared for a delayed opening to the start of school, since students would be coming in well after the first bell, citing the arrivals being similar to winter days with bad weather.

"Similar to snowy mornings we expected some students would be tardy," Murphy said.

Did any students miss their AP exams due to the bus strike

This week is particularly important to a handful of Marlborough students who are taking AP exams. AP exams are produced by the non-profit organization College Board, and have to take place at the same date and time across the country. On Monday, May 8, the AP Calculus exam was taking place at 8 a.m. Murphy reported that all students planning to take the exam arrived at school on time.

"All students were on time and participated in the AP Calculus Exam this morning. There are exams all week and the staff created an arrival plan for all students," Murphy said.

AP tests in other subjects, including English on Tuesday, Spanish on Wednesday, and Modern World History on Thursday, will be taking place throughout the week.

What are drivers saying?

Donna Paglia is another bus driver who was outside Whitcomb school on Monday morning. As a "big" bus driver, she did get a raise in January but said that raise coincided with her hours being cut.

"We got our raise, but they cut our hours. They are pinching our hours; I was at 30 hours and now I'm at 24, and that brought me down below what I was making before the pandemic," Paglia said.

"Big bus drivers just want to maintain their raise, they aren't making any more," Willoughby said.

Drivers say the school buses are unsafe

Paglia added that there are additional concerns about bus safety that NRT hasn't addressed.

"We have buses that have been written up five, six times, because there are problems with them, we don't want to drive these buses, they are not safe for the children," Paglia said. "We care about the kids the most, we want them to be safe. If you get into a school bus and the emergency brake doesn't work, or the seats are falling apart, or the lights don't work, it's not safe for the kids and we want them to make things safe."

The bus drivers outside Whitcomb stressed that it was a difficult decision to go on strike, knowing that they would put parents and students in a difficult situation.

"I absolutely love my students, I consider every one of them one of my kids," Paglia said. "It's a very hard thing knowing that my little ones are not going to get to school as fast as they should, but my parents on my bus know this was coming. We tried to get them to sign a contract, and they walked away from us."

Where are the picket lines in Marlborough

NRT announced the strike to its members on Facebook stating it "is officially on strike in Marlborough as of now. All hands on deck at the following locations:

Marlborough High School, 431 Bolton Street, Marlborough, MA

Whitcomb Middle School, 25 Union Street Marlborough, MA"

They also encouraged members to picket at Solomon Pond Mall in Marlborough by both Macy's and the former Sears, 601 Donald Lynch Blvd in Marlborough and at NRT's facility at 2 Fox Road in Hudson.

What buses are running in Marlborough on Monday

The district said it was expecting to have limited bus routes available but encouraged people to drive children to schools or walk with them

"Available buses will prioritize areas of the City with a large concentration of students," reads a statement on the district's website. Students were notified if they are assigned to these limited routes on Sunday.

Marlborough School District: Official list of the bus routes in Marlborough on Monday, May 8

Late on Sunday night, Marlborough Superintendent of School Mary Murphy posted the following message on the district's website: "At this time the district is still planning for a bus driver strike to start tomorrow morning. There has been a lot of conflicting information on the media, but no deal has been reached in Marlborough. Please do not rely on any other sources of information. The District will relay all pertinent information regarding the strike."

What the union has said about the strike

Representatives from Teamsters Local 170 issued a press release last this week after warning the superintendents in Framingham, Marlborough and Westborough about the possible strike.

“We have met with NRT Inc. to negotiate contracts fifty-seven times. NRT has stalled negotiations, refusing to meet for weeks and weeks earlier this year,” the union stated. “Local 170 is committed to a fair contract, including fair wages, health care and retirement for its members.”

Why are bus driver's striking: School bus drivers may strike in three communities next week. What you should know.

What has the NRT bus company said about the strike

NRT offered the following statement to the Daily News: "While we respect our employees' federally protected right to strike,we are extremely saddened that the Teamsters are considering moving forward with a strike, particularly given the progress that we’ve made in our collective bargaining discussions over the last few months. Since January 2023, NRT has actively and respectfully negotiated in good faith with the union, and this includes attending every meeting and remaining in discussion for as long as requested. We are deeply committed to creating and maintaining a work environment that is supportive of our drivers and the communities that rely on us to provide safe and reliable transportation for the children in our care."

What is happening in Westborough with the school bus strike

“We are physically on strike in Marlborough. We are not pulling Westborough at this time. Marlborough is officially on strike. We will be on strike until we resolve the contract. We are hoping NRT brings an offer back to the table that will be responsible and good for the drivers, and we will go from there,” Jim Marks, business manager for Teamsters Local 170, told WCVB.

In Westborough, there is no strike, but also no deal on a new collective bargaining agreement.

Leading up to the strike: Are Framingham, Marlborough and Westborough schools ready for a bus driver strike?

How was the Framingham school bus driver strike stopped

Administrators from Framingham were in the middle of a press conference briefing the community on the ongoing negotiations and plans for Monday, when Mayor Charlie Sisitsky announced to the crowd that he had just spoken with the Teamsters and that a deal had been reached.

"I just spoke to the business manager of the Teamsters, they are going to sign the contract," Sisitksy said during the press conference, which took place about 6:15 p.m. Sunday.

Framingham school bus driver strike: One down, two to go. Bus driver strike averted Sunday in Framingham

Framingham Superintendent of Schools Bob Tremblay said he planned to send out information to parents about potential contingency plans for the strike, but was relieved that no longer needed to happen.

More: School bus drivers may strike in three communities next week. What you should know.

Caitlyn Kelleher, a MetroWest Daily News staff member, contributed to this article.

This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Marlborough school bus drivers: What occurred Monday as strike continues