Barrington and East Providence public school officials are preparing for a potential strike by local school bus drivers and monitors.

Members of the Teamsters Local 251 union who serve as bus drivers and monitors for Ocean State Transit company voted recently to authorize a strike at any time. 

The union has been trying to negotiate changes to its contract, calling for better pay and benefits. The lack of progress caught the attention of local media outlets when the union workers attended an East Providence School Committee meeting on Tuesday night, Jan. 14.

On Wednesday morning, Jan. 15, Barrington Superintendent of Schools Michael Messore said he had spoken with the president of Ocean State Transit regarding the contract negotiations.

"He said he would keep me informed," said Mr. Messore. "Right now it's wait and see."

Mr. Messore said that should the union drivers and monitors decide to strike, Barrington schools would remain open. However, parents would need to find alternative ways to get their sons and daughters to and from school each day.

"The responsibility of transportation would fall to our families," Mr. Messore said, adding that union representatives have assured school officials that they would provide fair notice of an upcoming strike.

Mr. Messore said the district uses two of its own buses to transport some special needs students, but all other students rely on Ocean State Transit buses. 

The superintendent said he plans to meet with district officials on Friday to discuss contingency plans for a potential bus drivers strike. He said he also discussed the situation with Barrington Town Manager Jim Cunha, cautioning him on the likelihood of increased traffic congestion around the schools should bus drivers strike. 

"Jim said he'd work with us if there's an issue," Mr. Messore said.

Barrington schools are currently in the final year of a five-year contract with Ocean State Transit. Mr. Messore said the union bus drivers and monitors that service Barrington do a great job.

"Our drivers are very committed to the job of servicing the students and families of Barrington," Mr. Messore said. 

The superintendent added that while Barrington buses had experienced some shortages of monitors and drivers in past years, that has not been the case this school year. Mr. Messore said some of the monitors are employed by the district and some are the union workers hired by Ocean State Transit.

In the case of a strike, Mr. Messore said he would quickly alert the district's families.

"It would cause, in a small town like ours, seeing more people on the road is going to cause greater congestion around the schools," he said. "We will need to work collaboratively and patiently through the process.

"We'll make it work — one way or another."

Union statement

According to the Teamsters Local 251 website, the company that owns Ocean State Transit (Student Transportation America) has "regularly shorted employee pay and forced employees to work off the clock." 

The union posted a statement to its website regarding the situation. It reads, in part: "Ocean State/STA has committed multiple unfair labor practice violations, and is under investigation for potential violations of Rhode Island's paid sick-leave law. The company is also subject to multiple fire code, occupational safety, and environmental compliance complaints as well.

"Two hundred drivers, bus monitors and aides voted to join Teamsters Local 251. These workers carry the precious cargo for East Providence and Barrington schools: our students. But they get paid substandard wages, and receive no health, vision, dental or retirement benefits. Ocean State/STA disrespects its hard-working employees, has taken away paid time off, and made them work for free 'off the clock.'

"The 200 school bus workers are coming together to say 'Enough!' Please join in supporting them."