Education
Hundreds of CPS, Pace Paratransit Drivers Enter Week 3 of Strike as Contract Negotiations Reach an Impasse
(Regional Transportation Authority)
The employer of the more than 600 paratransit drivers for PACE and Chicago Public Schools who have been on strike for two weeks said in a statement Friday that it would potentially surrender its contract with CPS as negotiations reach an impasse.
Drivers began a work stoppage on Aug. 16 — shortly before the start of the new school year — alleging low wages and unfair labor practices by employer SCR Medical Transportation.
Roughly half of the 600 drivers on strike serve CPS students, including students with special needs, according to spokesperson Caleen Carter-Patton for Teamsters Local 727, the union that represents the drivers.
“Unfortunately, the Teamsters continue to make economic demands that are financially unrealistic,” SCR Vice President Kristin Persu said in a statement Friday. “As a result, we have been put in the untenable position to now transition negotiations to potentially surrender our contract with the Chicago Public Schools.”
Teamsters Local 727 Secretary-Treasurer John Coli Jr. said in a statement that SCR has not demonstrated how its reason for threatening to end the CPS contract would be economical.
“It is clear that SCR is retaliating for their members’ Union activity and for finally demanding they be treated with dignity and respect,” Coli said in a statement. “Our PACE and CPS members are only asking to be paid parity with the rest of their Union brothers and sisters in the paratransit industry.”
The workers’ union is asking for a starting rate of $20 per hour for drivers, Coli said.
The strike comes as CPS experiences an ongoing shortage of school bus drivers, which has left 1,100 students without transportation.
The work stoppage has been a contributing factor to the limited number of drivers available for students, according to CPS spokesperson Evan Moore, who said in a statement that SCR is the school district’s largest paratransit vendor, representing over 45% of its fleet.
CPS did not respond to a request for comment about SCR potentially surrendering its contract with the school district.
In anticipation of the work stoppage, CPS said it minimized the number of routes given to SCR and placed its other vendors on notice for the possible need to use their vehicles if routes serviced by SCR become inoperable.
SCR and Teamsters Local 727 have met for bargaining sessions three times since the strike began with the last session being held Monday, according to Carter-Patton.
No upcoming bargaining sessions have been scheduled.
Contact Eunice Alpasan: @eunicealpasan | 773-509-5362 | [email protected]
