NYC school bus drivers could strike at beginning of school year, Chancellor Banks warns

Schools Chancellor David Banks is warning of a potential school bus strike that could impact thousands of New York City children as classes resume next month, The News has learned.

Negotiations are ongoing with the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1181, which represents school bus drivers and attendants, but have yet to result in a deal, Banks told the Chancellor’s Parent Advisory Council late Thursday.

“There’s some real concerns around a potential bus strike,” said Banks.

“I don’t want to jump the gun yet,” he added, “just to know that we’re negotiating every day with the union, trying to get a deal done. Certainly hopeful. But there’s a possibility that we might have an action with buses at the beginning of the school year, which would not be a good thing.”

A strike would impact an estimated 85,000 to 150,000 students across the city, including those in the youngest grade levels and with disabilities who qualify for busing.

Carolyn Rinaldi, chief of staff at Local 1181, said the union has no comment at this time.

But a memo to members showed that a vast majority of voters at several bus companies voted in June to authorize a strike.

“The Union is fighting to get back what members previously had and everything they lost,” read the newsletter. “A fair contract for all senior and new members is the answer to making school bus a career again.”

Rima Izquierdo, a school bus advocate based in the Bronx, warned the impact of such a strike would be profound.

“We are monitoring closely as this would be devastating,” Izquierdo said.

Banks told the advisory council they were the first group he was warning, but that he would lay out plans for all families if a strike were to materialize.

“Again, working hard to avoid that, but it is a possibility,” he added. “And if it is, we will have clear direction for all our parents across the system of what they can do to be prepared for that.”

Nathaniel Styer, a public schools spokesman, said he could not comment on ongoing discussions in labor negotiations.

Styer outlined several contingency plans to ensure students can get to school in the event of a strike, including emergency MetroCards, reimbursements for other modes of transportation, and, in some cases, free rideshare.

“These negotiations are unlike most involving the city because they are between bus companies, who contract with the DOE, and their employees, who are not city employees,” he added. “The city encourages the parties to remain at the bargaining table until they reach a voluntary agreement.”