School Bus Drivers Strike Leaves 12,000 Stranded

Union bus drivers on Saturday voted to strike against Laidlaw Transit Inc., the company contracted to transport at least half the students attending Seattle public schools.

The walkout means about 12,000 students will have to find alternative ways to get to school beginning Monday.

Laidlaw’s 300 drivers, who operate 275 buses, operate primarily in the north Seattle area.

Members of the Teamsters Local 763 voted 129-99 to reject the latest contract proposal from Laidlaw. The lack of a pension plan was the biggest point of contention, union members said.

“The issue is deeper than financial,” Greg Slaughter, business representative for the drivers, told KIROTV. “It’s something to do with principle, something to do with what’s right for the bargaining group, something to do with what every bargaining member should have and that’s pension.”

Kevin Mest, Laidlaw’s Washington state director of operations, told The Seattle Times the company does not offer pensions to part-time workers.

The Toronto-based Laidlaw holds a contract to bus 12,000 of the district’s 24,000 students. The strike does not affect those students who ride Ryder buses.