Story at a glance
- School bus drivers across the United States are going on strike.
- The drivers are protesting working conditions and low pay amid staffing shortages and the COVID-19 pandemic.
- An August 2021 survey conducted by the National Association for Pupil Transportation found that 51 percent of responding school districts described their bus driver shortages as “severe” or “desperate.”
School bus drivers across the United States are going on strike in protest of work conditions amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The implications are widespread, with a number of strikes, protests and walkouts occurring across the U.S., including in Maryland, Florida, New York and others.
Already facing staff shortages due to the coronavirus pandemic, drivers are protesting the increased hours, need for higher pay, and continued possible exposure to COVID-19.
An August 2021 survey conducted by the National Association for Pupil Transportation found that 51 percent of responding school districts described their bus driver shortages as “severe” or “desperate.”
America is changing faster than ever! Add Changing America to your Facebook or Twitter feed to stay on top of the news.
“A lot of us have been doing double runs, and they’re making it permanent,” Nichole Marshall, a school bus driver in Kentucky, told The Guardian, adding, “We’ve been begging for better pay. All the counties around us are getting better pay at this point.”
Marshall reports drivers in the area hold a salary of approximately $19,000 a year, and while the school district is offering $50-a-week stipends, they are largely conditional on driving extra routes and attendance.
Similarly, in Wake County, N.C., drivers are calling out sick en masse as they protest for better wages, with the district only recently approving a pay increase to $13 an hour.
“The board needs to understand that we are not playing [around],” an anonymous driver told local outlet WRAL. “We are after to get our raise, and we are not going to stop until we get it.”
READ MORE STORIES FROM CHANGING AMERICA
MORE THAN 100 FLORIDA BUSINESSES, CITIES AND SCHOOLS DEFYING GOV DESANTIS DESPITE RISKING BIG FINES
HIGH SCHOOL PRINCIPAL WHO GOT LAP DANCES FROM STUDENTS UNDER INVESTIGATION
10-YEAR-OLD BLACK GIRL HANDCUFFED AT SCHOOL IN HAWAII AFTER DRAWING PICTURE
FLORIDA SCHOOL QUARANTINES STUDENTS WHO GET VACCINATED FOR 30 DAYS
Published on Nov 16,2021