MCSD bus drivers demand better pay and benefits

A group of Muscogee County School District bus drivers held a public meeting Tuesday to demand higher wages, bimonthly pay and health insurance benefits.

The meeting was held at the Columbus Public Library on Macon Road, drawing about 60 bus drivers, supporters and local media. Bus drivers said it had been eight years since they received a pay increase, putting student safety at risk.

“I think parents would like to have qualified drivers driving and also caring for their children,” said Russell Chambers, a bus driver. “I believe in years to come, if you continue to decrease the pay, you will have less qualified drivers and you will have a lot of problems in the future.”

The bus drivers also expressed concern about Gov. Nathan Deal’s plan to cut health insurance coverage for them and other employees who work fewer than 30 hours a week. Theresa El-Amin, of the Southern Anti-Racism Network, assured the group that the matter was being addressed by the Moral Monday campaign being led by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

Leslie Thomas said he and other bus drivers have been waiting patiently for a wage increase, and now other incentives are being taken away. At the same time, the district has been demanding more of drivers, he said, adding preschool children to their responsibilities.

“Now, it’s time for us to stand up for ourselves and make other people understand that we’re not just going to accept ‘no,’” he said. “You can’t just tell us, ‘No, we’re not going to give you a raise’ and we’re going to accept it.”

The bus drivers have been pushing for higher wages ever since October when they sent an unsigned letter to MCSD Superintendent David Lewis requesting a number of changes, including a pay raise of $4 per hour, starting pay of $15 per hour and the re-implementation of the Step pay raise system.

On Oct. 31, Lewis responded with a letter, stating that the changes would cost the district over $1.5 million in unbudgeted expenses.

“I understand the frustration of all our employees, not just bus drivers, regarding our inability as a school district to reward our employees with increased compensation and benefits since 2009, due to the drastic cuts in education funding that can be used for operation costs,” he wrote. “However, I cannot fix this situation in one year, nor in the middle of a budget year which is already extremely tight.”

Yet, he promised to outline a plan the following year “that would address, in increments, our compensation system problems across the District.”

“As I stated to the bus drivers I spoke to today, please know that I am committed to working on behalf of all employees toward rewarding them adequately for their dedication and service as financial circumstances permit,” he wrote. “It will be one of my goals in the upcoming budget process.”

On Nov. 3, about 75 bus drivers protested with a sick-out. Of 206 full-time drivers, about 75 didn’t show up to work.

Malcolm Harvey, who led Tuesday’s meeting, said the committee represents over 200 bus drivers. He said the lowest paid bus driver makes about $13.13 per hour, and most bus drivers work about five hours a day. He and other bus drivers said the November sick-out wasn’t a strike, but just a way to let their voices be heard.

School Board Member Frank Myers attended Tuesday’s meeting with another suggestion. He asked the group not to strike but to support his efforts to defeat a 1 percent Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax, which Columbus voters will consider in a March 17 referendum.

“I’m almost apologetic that I’ve kind of crashed your meeting,” he said. “But I heard on the news last night that you were going to meet this morning, and I said, ‘Well, I’m going to go over there and look at these people.’

“I am with you as a school board member,” he said. “I want to make things better for you. John Thomas wants to make things better for you. I’m sure there are other members of the school board who with a little prompting would like to make things better for you.”

But the district has a systematic problem, he said, which has caused administrators to stop valuing the people who touch the lives of children. He said school bus drivers in Muscogee County are being paid less than those in Phenix City and other surrounding areas.

“But until we hold the school board accountable and make them prioritize spending, y’all aren’t going to get a raise,” he said. “And I’m asking you to get involved, help us beat this SPLOST, force this board to re-prioritize spending.”

He said he would be in the parking lot after the meeting to distribute anti-SPLOST bumper stickers.El-Amin had a different perspective.

“I hope all of us understand that your salary, and your pay and benefits can’t come directly out of the SPLOST, but the SPLOST could give you new buses. The SPLOST could give the students comfortable places to go to school in, rather than sinking buildings,” she said. “And, so, we really want to see that happen, because the schools cannot do it alone, and nor should they have to.”

“And those of us who really care about the children should support every effort for the children to be safe on the buses and in their schools,” she continued, “and also have the superintendent keep his promise that we need to free up some of the general fund in order to give you a raise.”

After the meeting, Harvey and other bus drivers said they haven’t taken an official position on SPLOST, and it’s an individual decision.

This story was originally published February 17, 2015 at 12:34 PM with the headline "MCSD bus drivers demand better pay and benefits."