Lakota district busing halted as drivers strike

Lakota Local Schools provide transportation for students in grades kindergarten through ninth grade, and that did not happen Friday as drivers picketed the bus terminal on Yankee Road beginning at 5:30 a.m.

The district said in a message to parents Tuesday afternoon that communication would be sent to families as soon as the district is made aware of any new details.

“We are assessing our ability to participate in athletics during a possible strike,” the message said. “Parents will receive more information from their schools and teams as it becomes available.”

When asked for comment on a possible strike, Petermann Transportation responded in an email:

“We can confirm that we are negotiating and bargaining in good faith with our co-workers,” reads an email from a Petermann spokesperson. “We are optimistic that we can come to an agreement to ensure our students and community are unaffected by these negotiations.”

Bill Davis, president of Teamsters Local 100, said the union’s members don’t want to strike, but they are also not happy with the contract language proposed by Petermann.

Specifically, Davis said the drivers take issue with new provisions within the contract that would allow drivers’ supervisors to virtually monitor them at any time; Previously, the typical contract language allowed surveillance in the event of a complaint made, or any indication of reckless driving, Davis said.

“We’re all human,” Davis said. “None of us are perfect. Would you want constant video supervision at your job? A rogue supervisor who did not like you could make your job much harder, or even get you terminated.”

Davis said he didn’t believe there is any indication drivers have performed their jobs so poorly as to need constant virtual supervision.