The walkout threatened by Alouette school bus drivers was averted this week when top brass met with employees. But the issues regarding inequitable pay and unpaid service remain.
On Monday, the company offered to add 15-minutes of pay for the extra cleaning required by COVID-19 protocols, and a meeting was set up for Tuesday with executives from the parent company Sinton-Landmark. The bus drivers then cancelled the walkout that was threatened to take place this morning.
After the meeting, however, it is clear there is still a large chasm between the two sides over the hourly rate. Drivers had said they receive $1.70 less an hour than the company’s Northland Bus Lines drivers in Sudbury. There was no movement on that issue. And they also believe the 15 minutes is not enough.
“As it stands, they are only willing to pay us 15 minutes a day for the sanitization of our buses,” said Shaunna Harper on Tuesday after the meeting. “That simply is not enough time, or pay.”
Harper, who has been providing media with updates for the 57 of 71 drivers in agreement with the pay hike petition and walkout threat, said the process for applying the sanitizer requires it to stay wet for 10 minutes to be effective and it needs to be done twice a day, once after each run.
“And they are not willing to give us a raise … they are not even willing to give us a timeline in which we could potentially get a raise, or be on par with our sister company,” she said.
Greg Stock, Sinton-Landmark’s regional manager of Northland and Alouette, issued a media release Tuesday evening.
“At Alouette, we are proud of our entire team and the important service we provide to the communities and families of West Nipissing,” the statement reads. “While we were disappointed to learn of the petition, we respect everyone’s right to have their say, and equally important, we want to further understand their concerns. We met with the employees Friday and again today (Tuesday) to listen to their concerns and have continued to work with them to learn, share, and find a workable solution for all.
“It is important to all, to maintain safe, consistent transportation to and from school for our children. Alouette Bus Lines drivers recognize this and have assured us they will be running their routes, as usual, this Thursday, as we work to find solutions together.
“Many of the Alouette Bus Drivers have a long tenure serving West Nipissing families and we take pride in this long-standing relationship.
“We understand there has never been a more critical time than during COVID when our drivers, who are so valuable to our business at the best of times, are now considered an essential service to the community. Our commitment to our employees is to always do the right thing and act with integrity. We remain committed to upholding this each and every day and to working directly with these employees to reach a fair and equitable solution for all parties,” the statement ends.
Harper said she couldn’t comment on the statement or indicate what the group may do now.
She could only say they met Wednesday as planned to review their options for achieving equitable pay.
