JAY — Regional School Unit 73 is gearing up for the opening of school on Aug. 27, but when fall sports begins on Aug. 20 for Spruce Mountain High School, bus drivers may not be available to take athletes to and from the games.
The drivers and custodians are deadlocked in contract negotiations that began last winter.
A member of the bargaining unit said no drivers’ names are on the “trip list,” which means no drivers have signed up to take students to games or other events.
Drivers would continue to be available for their regular to-and-from-school trips for classes.
The member asked not to be identified for fear of retaliation.
Don Crockett, business agent for Teamsters Local No. 340, which represents the drivers and custodians, said on Tuesday, “There’s a bit of frustration up there,” meaning in the Spruce Mountain district.
He said he wasn’t surprised to learn that no drivers have signed up to drive teams. Negotiations for a three-year contract, which began last winter, have stalled.
Crockett said both sides are “waiting to hear from a panel of fact-finders.” That panel is a unit of the Maine Labor Relations Board.
RSU 73 Superintendent Scott Albert said in an email Tuesday, “We are waiting for fact-finding, so I will not comment on what was or was not offered.”
According to one member of the bargaining unit, “At this point the only thing holding up the contract is a livable wage. The custodians and bus drivers had asked for a $1.66 an hour raise, due to the increase in insurance premiums, (higher) cost of living and so on.”
Crockett confirmed the $1.66 figure and said the school district had countered with a proposal for 86 cents more per hour.
Then, according to the local union member, drivers and custodians said, “Meet us in the middle, and we would be good.” That would be $1.26 an hour.
“The board refused to move,” the member said.
Drivers and custodians then said, according to the union member, “Until you can negotiate in good faith, they (employees) are taking their names off any extracurricular activities. So, no sports trip drivers.”
The source said names of drivers who had previously signed up for extra trips “have come off the list.” The source did not know whether RSU 73 has a Plan B for getting athletes to and from their events.
In RSU 73, as in other districts, bus drivers and custodians often work both jobs. For example, Crockett said, some morning bus drivers become custodians when the school day begins and then drive an afternoon bus, as well.
Others finish their shift with the custodial work during the school day.
Still other drivers begin their workday driving an afternoon bus, then return to school buildings to do custodial work into the evening and night, he said.
Crockett said the district is chronically short of drivers and custodians. A full complement would be about 25 workers, he said, but the roster has fewer than 20. And some new hires are working only as custodians until they qualify as bus drivers.
Crockett said the district is “critically short-staffed,” which means drivers may be overworked and tired. “A tired driver is a concerning issue,” he said.
Crockett said he did not know whether any job action or protest has been planned. Local members could, for example, picket at a school board meeting or attend a board meeting en masse.
The school board scheduled a special meeting on Thursday, Aug. 13, mostly to deal with teacher resignations and hirings. Contract negotiations were not listed as an agenda item.
The board also has a regular meeting on Thursday, Aug. 20. That agenda is not yet posted.
Crockett said he is “cautiously optimistic” about resolving the dispute before school sports starts.
Superintendent Albert declined to confirm any information beyond saying the district is awaiting the fact-finding report, and added, “I do not believe they (the members and their union) should, either, but I cannot control that piece.”
