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

School bus drivers in Framingham, Marlborough and Westborough are threatening to strike starting Monday, which may lead to thousands of MetroWest students being unable to get to school.

On April 27, the union that represents the bus drivers and monitors, Teamsters Local 170, sent letters to school superintendents in the three communities, indicating a 10-day notice of an impending strike if agreements between the union and NRT, the vendor used by the school districts to supply busing, cannot be reached.

“I write to inform you that Teamsters Local 170 school bus drivers and monitors will likely be striking NRT Inc. in Framingham commencing on May 8, 2023,” states a letter to Framingham Superintendent of Schools Robert Tremblay, signed by Local 170 Executive Officer Shannon George. “NRT continues to refuse a fair contract for school bus drivers and monitors. We understand that a strike will be disruptive to school operations and may cause hardships for families. I am sending you this notice so you and Framingham families may plan accordingly.”

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The union sent similar letters to Marlborough Superintendent of Schools Mary Murphy and Westborough Superintendent of Schools Amber Bock.

Representatives from Teamsters Local 170 declined to comment further, citing negotiations between the drivers and NRT remain ongoing. The union did issue a press release earlier this week.

“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.”

While Local 170 is threatening to strike in all three communities, contracts for each school district are negotiated separately. Jim Marks, a business agent with Local 170, told the Daily News that individual negotiations between drivers and monitors from all three communities are ongoing.

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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."

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A potential strike, which could lead to thousands of students being unable to get to and from school, has put pressure on local school officials to work on a solution.

“We are exploring every available avenue that we know of," said Framingham School Committee Chair Priscila Sousa, during a City Council meeting on Tuesday. "I want to send a sincere note of thanks to every bus driver that has come forward and alerted us to this, we lament that it has gotten to this point, but it’s important we have a timely solution for our children and for these drivers."

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The School Committee met in executive session Wednesday night to discuss potential contingency plans regarding student transportation if a strike should occur.

Framingham has previously expressed frustration while working with NRT, voting back in February to refund 425 families in the city who had not received adequate busing services from the district during the current school year. A shortage of drivers has led to students being late arriving to school, as well as having to stay later at the end of the day. That has led to additional hours for school administrators who must wait with students after school until a bus is available to take them home.

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Framingham’s bus drivers and monitors unionized in August, following frustrations in the negotiating process with NRT, according to Marks. Westborough’s drivers, which unionized earlier, has been in some form of negotiations since late 2021.

Framingham School Committee member Adam Freudberg, who stressed he was speaking for himself and not on behalf of the School Committee, said during Tuesday's City Council meeting that the situation with NRT and busing in Framingham has been "declining all year."

Staffing situation 'getting worse, not better'

“The bus driver staffing situation is getting worse, not better," he said. "We were contracted for 77 drivers this year, NRT started the year with 60 drivers and today NRT has 57 drivers."

Freudberg noted that data from the Brophy Elementary School showed that just under 50% of its buses were arriving after the breakfast bell for school. He also said Framingham drivers are paid about $4 less per hour than what compensation is in surrounding communities.

“For months, I have been joining in advocating for changes to support driver recruitment, retention and rewards for their hard work," Freudberg said. "For months, the bureaucratic process has been somewhat frozen. It is time right now, this week, to come together and support both the Teamsters Local 170 and NRT. To respect the drivers' rights to collectively bargain, and to encourage both parties to bargain in good faith, in order to come to a favorable resolution."

Mayor Charlie Sisitsky said during the council meeting that the city would meet with both sides in coming days to help foster a resolution.

“We are hopefully optimistic we can solve this issue and get back on track with educating our students without having to deal with the messy situation if a strike prevails,” Sisitsky said.

This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Framingham, Westborough, Marlborough bus drivers threaten to strike