AFL-CIO Protests Non-Union RIDE Bus Drivers, Staff

PROVIDENCE, RI — As nationwide bus driver staffing shortages persist, union bus drivers, monitors and aides ask Rhode Island’s Department of Education (RIDE) to stop courting the largely non-union company DATTCO as a replacement for the First Student statewide bus contract on many state bus runs.

Warwick Schools reported difficulty with the national bus staffing shortage in February of 2023, though the district was able to navigate it in time for the start of the 2023-24 school year in September. But the shortage remains a national and state-wide challenge.

This week, the Rhode Island AFL-CIO protested using DATTCO to meet the RIDE bus drivers staffing need, saying the move would undermine  their rights, wage standards, and job protections established through legally binding union contracts.

According to a statement from AFL-CIO, DATTCO is offering wages and benefits that are significantly below the majority of current union contracts. If RIDE gives the current assignment of unionized yards to the lower paid contractor, workers may be forced to receive unnecessary pay cuts and benefit changes.

Additionally, DATTCO is actively trying to recruit workers from their union employer by sending text messages offering $3,000 in bonuses if workers abdicate their union. “We have worked hard with First Student through union negotiations to ensure a decent industry wage standard and benefits to not only attract new employees but to also retain the highest quality professionals in the industry in order to help our employer meet their contractual obligations. Now, DATTCO employees have reached out to many of our members, trying to poach and entice with sign-on bonuses and even scare tactics,” said Lorene Hamel, a First Student Bus Driver that has worked in the Lincoln bus yard, represented by 1199 SEIU, for 11 years.

While there has been a nationwide shortage of school bus employees, many left the industry during the pandemic for being at high risk and largely haven’t returned, exacerbating the staffing shortage. Lowering working standards is not the solution to staffing problems, AFL-CIO stated.

The proposal selected through this robust and competitive process will save taxpayers in the cities and towns that utilize statewide school transportation services close to $8 million over 5 years. Per state law, RIDE followed an open and competitive procurement process for transportation services for out-of-district special education and non-public school students,” said Victor Morente, spokesperson for RIDE, in a statement responding to the AFL-CIO’s protest.

“A technical evaluation team of five state employees, including members of labor, recommended the selection of DATTCO for services within a zone considering qualifications and best value pursuant to the scoring rubric outlined in the RFP issued for these services. It’s important to note that the RFP that was issued explicitly requested that vendors confirm they would comply with all local, state, and federal prevailing wage requirements. All vendors that applied confirmed,” he said.